1 00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:08,100 If you have your Bibles. Please meet me in the Book of 2 00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:13,300 Psalms chapter 73. On a personal level. 3 00:00:13,300 --> 00:00:15,100 This song has been something that's been on my heart all 4 00:00:15,100 --> 00:00:17,800 week. It seems and just recently, I'm 5 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,100 hearing that, a lot of people are being drawn to this song. 6 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,900 I see all the guys nodding their heads because I'm thinking that 7 00:00:22,900 --> 00:00:24,800 this is what you spoke about last night. 8 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:29,600 The men's meeting Psalm 73 is going to be different type of 9 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:31,000 message. We're not going to take main 10 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:33,100 points out of this necessarily. We're just going to kind of go 11 00:00:33,100 --> 00:00:36,100 verse by verse and see what the Lord has in mind concerning this 12 00:00:36,100 --> 00:00:40,200 song, why he's given it to us. But it's very important to 13 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,900 understand who here is speaking. And if you look at your Bibles, 14 00:00:43,900 --> 00:00:47,200 it says, right there in verse 1, that this is a Psalm of asaph 15 00:00:47,700 --> 00:00:49,600 asaph. Now, before we move on, we have 16 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:51,700 to ask ourselves. Who is this person ASAP? 17 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:54,900 Who is this individual? That is writing this song. 18 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,300 And by the holy spirit's inspiration, we know that asaph 19 00:00:59,300 --> 00:01:02,000 is mentioned in other portions of scripture and you don't have 20 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,500 to turn there, but there's one here in first Chronicles 25:1 21 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,400 and it tells us that David and the chiefs of the service also 22 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,000 set apart for the service, the sons of asaph. 23 00:01:13,100 --> 00:01:16,400 And if human and I've just showed you 'then who prophesied 24 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,400 with Liars with Harps and with symbols. 25 00:01:18,700 --> 00:01:20,400 So right there, in that simple verse. 26 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,000 And another verse in first Chronicles, we realize that 27 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,800 asaph is a special individual. He's not just this random 28 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:27,900 character that is writing a song that has found itself on the 29 00:01:27,900 --> 00:01:31,000 Bible. This man has been set apart. 30 00:01:32,300 --> 00:01:37,000 Who lived under the reign of King, David himself to be a 31 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,900 minister and a specific type of Minister First Chronicles. 32 00:01:40,900 --> 00:01:44,100 Six tells us that he was set apart to do what to lead. 33 00:01:44,100 --> 00:01:49,300 The people of God In Worship. He was a man that was gifted by 34 00:01:49,300 --> 00:01:54,600 God to write to create Tunes with a heartbeat that gives 35 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,500 glory to the Lord. This was an individual that was 36 00:01:57,500 --> 00:02:02,000 gifted to create not only with the mind but we just even read. 37 00:02:02,100 --> 00:02:06,200 who prophesied who had the ability by the spirit to create 38 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:10,600 something and to declare something with instruments, that 39 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,200 would declare the glories of God. 40 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,000 If there's a title for this message, it would be this 41 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:24,000 Confessions of a worship leader. Confessions of a worship leader, 42 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,100 let us feel the way to understand that this man is a 43 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:29,700 spiritual leader. Let us understand that this 44 00:02:29,700 --> 00:02:32,300 person has been given a Divine task. 45 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,600 To minister unto God and to minister unto the people of God, 46 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:40,800 that his life, and his days were set apart for such a purpose. 47 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:45,100 And if there's anything else that we can add to this person 48 00:02:45,100 --> 00:02:47,400 concerning his characteristics. If there's any detail that the 49 00:02:47,408 --> 00:02:51,600 Bible has given us surely it, is found in this Psalm, surely it 50 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:55,900 is found in this beautiful song, I'm so glad that the Bible gives 51 00:02:55,900 --> 00:02:59,200 us honest text. I'm so glad that the Bible gives 52 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,400 us stories of real. People who really live for a 53 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,700 real God and went through real Relations so that we can relate 54 00:03:04,700 --> 00:03:07,000 to them. And that's what asaph is 55 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,400 experiencing here. If there's one thing that we can 56 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,100 know about him, it is this that he has come at one point in his 57 00:03:12,100 --> 00:03:15,200 life into a crisis moment with his faith. 58 00:03:16,700 --> 00:03:19,800 That's what the song is. All about, a worship leader, who 59 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:23,600 serve God, love God adored, God, believe God. 60 00:03:24,300 --> 00:03:28,000 But at one moment, he had a humble confession, because his 61 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:34,700 soul went into turbulent mode. His faith was being challenged 62 00:03:34,700 --> 00:03:38,100 in such a way that as we read, we realize that if he had gone 63 00:03:38,100 --> 00:03:42,000 further, he would have crashed and burned and his relationship 64 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:46,300 with God. And if we can sum up what this 65 00:03:46,300 --> 00:03:49,400 Soul commotion is all about. If we can sum up what Psalm 73 66 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:53,900 really boils down to it, is this that asaph made the observation 67 00:03:54,600 --> 00:04:02,400 in his life that the Wicked, the unbelieving seem to have a 68 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:10,900 better life than the righteous. That those who reject God mock 69 00:04:10,900 --> 00:04:13,800 God. Rebel against God. 70 00:04:15,100 --> 00:04:19,899 Seem to experience more joy. More thrill. 71 00:04:22,100 --> 00:04:27,500 Equal, if not more prosperity. Than those who have committed 72 00:04:27,500 --> 00:04:31,900 themselves to live for the Lord. And this was bugging him. 73 00:04:33,700 --> 00:04:39,300 This is tormenting him. This was challenging him. 74 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,000 To really think is this whole Jesus thing worth it? 75 00:04:46,700 --> 00:04:49,500 So we read in verse 1, a Psalm of asaph. 76 00:04:50,500 --> 00:04:54,600 Look what he says here. Truly God, is good to Israel, to 77 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:57,300 those who are pure in heart us. That's a good start. 78 00:04:58,300 --> 00:05:01,300 Because he confesses that he does have a knowledge of the 79 00:05:01,300 --> 00:05:05,000 goodness of God. This is a person who knew the 80 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,000 goodness of God, who experienced the faithfulness of God, who 81 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:12,300 wrote about the goodness of God, who sang, who taught in some 82 00:05:12,300 --> 00:05:15,300 sense. The people of God that God in 83 00:05:15,300 --> 00:05:18,000 fact is good and he's not just good. 84 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,000 In general, it says here to those who are pure in heart. 85 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:25,100 Meaning, those who have set their lives apart to honor, God 86 00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:26,900 and serve God and walk in his ways. 87 00:05:27,100 --> 00:05:32,400 Surely God is Get to them. And he knew this, he really did 88 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:33,900 like many people in the church. That know. 89 00:05:33,900 --> 00:05:37,800 God is good, God is good. All the time all the time, God 90 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:42,900 is good. He knew it and he sang it and 91 00:05:42,900 --> 00:05:45,700 he's not saying it sarcastically necessarily but he's about to 92 00:05:45,700 --> 00:05:49,500 admit now with that truth is another truth that he did not 93 00:05:49,500 --> 00:05:52,000 fully grasp that truth with all of his heart. 94 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:58,400 God is good, Shirley to those who are pure in heart, but 95 00:05:58,500 --> 00:06:01,300 that's a big word. Something happens. 96 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:07,700 But as for me, but as for me, my feet had almost stumbled. 97 00:06:08,700 --> 00:06:14,600 My steps had nearly slipped so saying, as much as I know that 98 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:19,300 God is good. At one point, I felt my feet 99 00:06:19,300 --> 00:06:22,400 drifting another Direction. Now notice he didn't say, my 100 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,400 feet had slipped isn't say, I did stumble. 101 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:32,100 He said nearly, he said almost And so, he's inviting us into 102 00:06:32,100 --> 00:06:33,700 what was going on into his heart. 103 00:06:33,700 --> 00:06:37,900 At one point that I'll do for a moment for a long moment, he was 104 00:06:37,900 --> 00:06:41,400 walking with god with both feet planted on the Narrow Path, 105 00:06:41,500 --> 00:06:46,300 walking with him day by day, serving him, he began to feel 106 00:06:46,300 --> 00:06:52,200 the right foot Magnetize towards the world and say you know what, 107 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:56,100 maybe I can do this thing with one foot in the world and one 108 00:06:56,100 --> 00:07:01,200 foot in God, or maybe he felt both feet, wanting to just stop 109 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:05,100 walking forward and perhaps just turn around all together and do 110 00:07:05,100 --> 00:07:06,600 what. Let me just get a little bit of 111 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:10,600 this world and get out long enough and maybe just walk back 112 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:15,600 with God again. Or perhaps he was fully 113 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,200 convinced. You know what, I don't even know 114 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:19,800 if I want to walk this walk anymore. 115 00:07:20,300 --> 00:07:24,400 I'm tired. I'm doing a pros and cons list 116 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,800 of my mind right now. I'm leading worship every 117 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,700 Sunday, but I'm seeing something else with the people around me 118 00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:32,000 that are doing other things throughout the week and it seems 119 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:35,300 like this is a really worth it. So why don't I just walk out on 120 00:07:35,308 --> 00:07:39,800 this whole thing completely? And we don't know how long that 121 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:42,200 this man has been going with this stop paddle. 122 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:47,000 We don't know how much he was really thinking this or how long 123 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:49,900 rather but it proves something to us, doesn't it all pay 124 00:07:49,900 --> 00:07:54,300 attention to this truth? It proves something to us that 125 00:07:54,300 --> 00:07:58,700 even faithful truth believing devoted followers of God. 126 00:07:58,700 --> 00:08:01,800 And dare, I say even spiritual leaders and faithful 127 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:06,300 communities. Can sometimes feel like they 128 00:08:06,300 --> 00:08:12,600 want to give up. And this person was tempted to 129 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:15,900 walk into a different direction. and if we're honest with 130 00:08:15,900 --> 00:08:23,000 ourselves, maybe at one point you and I have been tempted with 131 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,800 that thought. At one point, maybe for 132 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,100 different reasons. Maybe not for this reason but 133 00:08:28,100 --> 00:08:32,100 for different reasons maybe like Elijah you felt like you were 134 00:08:32,100 --> 00:08:34,400 all alone in your pursuit of faithfulness. 135 00:08:34,900 --> 00:08:36,799 Here I am God. I'm the only Prophet here in 136 00:08:36,799 --> 00:08:41,000 Israel that standing for you and I have a bounty on my head. 137 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:43,900 What's going on? Take my life now. 138 00:08:44,700 --> 00:08:46,600 No. Okay, Jeremiah. 139 00:08:47,700 --> 00:08:50,700 Here, I am serving you serving you serving you. 140 00:08:50,700 --> 00:08:54,800 My friends are making fun of me. They think I'm holier than now. 141 00:08:55,500 --> 00:08:57,300 Think I'm taking this too seriously. 142 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:06,600 Take me out, God. Or maybe just like ASA, you've 143 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,100 come to the conclusion. I won't point in your thinking 144 00:09:09,900 --> 00:09:14,900 that the really is no benefit. To living for God. 145 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:22,100 There's no advantage. Because when I compare my life, 146 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:26,300 as a righteous man, in Christ to those who willfully disobey and 147 00:09:26,300 --> 00:09:30,400 walk away from relationship with him, it seems like I'm paying a 148 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:36,100 higher price than they are. It seems like there's more 149 00:09:36,100 --> 00:09:39,400 blessing for them and there's more reproach for me. 150 00:09:40,100 --> 00:09:43,600 It seems like people are walking a war where I'm walking and 151 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,000 rebuke, people are walking and prosperity. 152 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,100 And here I am in doing persecution. 153 00:09:48,300 --> 00:09:51,500 And here I am trying to sacrifice and there's the world 154 00:09:51,500 --> 00:09:57,300 living in self-gratification. Have you been there? 155 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:04,700 If so, take heart. Because this is a hopeful text 156 00:10:04,700 --> 00:10:07,600 for us. He says, in verse 3 for I was 157 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,000 envious of the Arrogant. This is why he almost slipped 158 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:14,100 when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 159 00:10:14,300 --> 00:10:16,200 So you know what was happening to ASAP again? 160 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,300 We don't know that the period of time he was in during this, but 161 00:10:19,300 --> 00:10:22,900 we can imagine when he was going through, there he is, looking at 162 00:10:22,900 --> 00:10:25,400 the world, looking at his relatives, looking at his 163 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:27,300 friends that he knew in high school and college. 164 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,700 Now, he looks at his life. It looks back. 165 00:10:32,100 --> 00:10:33,900 He sees their businesses prospering. 166 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:36,700 He sees that they're making memories with their families. 167 00:10:36,700 --> 00:10:40,300 He sees the joy that they are clearly displaying. 168 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,400 He looks back at his life. He goes on Facebook. 169 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:49,000 He goes on Instagram, he checks out Snapchat, and he sees the 170 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,600 stories and he sees the laughs, and the memories and he looks at 171 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,200 his account and looks at his life. 172 00:10:56,400 --> 00:11:00,100 And then throughout that time, something begins to ruin his 173 00:11:00,100 --> 00:11:02,800 heart. Angie. 174 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:11,300 Envy a mixture of emotion, a mixture of discontentment and 175 00:11:11,300 --> 00:11:17,200 resentfulness towards those who seem to have an advantage that 176 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,900 he himself, could not have in his own life because of his 177 00:11:19,900 --> 00:11:24,400 dedication to God. So what does he do? 178 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:30,700 He feels like he's missing out. He feels like again. 179 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,000 There's no, this, there's no advantage to this. 180 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:38,200 I really can't find how many different than the world. 181 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,900 I really can't find why obeying God does produce a greater sense 182 00:11:42,900 --> 00:11:44,900 of life. When those who seem to 183 00:11:44,900 --> 00:11:49,500 completely, not just disobey God of a mock, God seemed to be just 184 00:11:50,700 --> 00:11:53,800 Okay. What did a safe? 185 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:57,500 See what were the things that he observed over the things that he 186 00:11:57,500 --> 00:12:01,900 calculated throughout his life. Well, verse for down tells us 187 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:04,900 For they have no pangs until death. 188 00:12:05,900 --> 00:12:08,200 Their bodies are flattened fat and sleek. 189 00:12:09,300 --> 00:12:13,300 And he and this language fat and Sleek means your prosperous, you 190 00:12:13,300 --> 00:12:16,000 were healthy. You were whole you were well and 191 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:21,200 so what is he observing? I see that the wicked are going 192 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:23,500 through life and it seems like nothing is afflicting them. 193 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,600 That there's no disease falling upon them that there's no plague 194 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:32,200 coming in their life. It just seems like everything is 195 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:33,700 fine. And here are some Christians 196 00:12:33,700 --> 00:12:36,100 that are Faithfully serving God and they're burning with cancer. 197 00:12:38,500 --> 00:12:40,600 Here's some people that have set it apart in their minds and 198 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:42,400 hearts to live for the glory of God. 199 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,600 And their health is betraying them day by day and hear the 200 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:48,200 wicked living in perfect health, until their dying breath. 201 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:53,800 How can this be? And not only that, but a sub 202 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:55,500 Shirley had observed. If you have a different 203 00:12:55,500 --> 00:12:57,200 transition, you'll notice that talks about how they have no 204 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:00,600 pain in death. That when they come even to the 205 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:05,300 point of death, there seems to be no anxiety of the wicked. 206 00:13:05,300 --> 00:13:08,300 There seems to be no fear. There seems to be no worry of 207 00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:12,300 the unknown, when it comes to the afterlife, they seem to slip 208 00:13:12,300 --> 00:13:15,200 right into death and everything seems to be just okay? 209 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:18,700 He, surely has made that observation more than once and 210 00:13:18,700 --> 00:13:21,000 it bothered him. How is it that they don't have 211 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:24,700 hope for the next life and they can die with such ease. 212 00:13:26,100 --> 00:13:29,200 How they can land their deathbed and not Wonder cry out. 213 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,400 Do not assume that every person who is outside of Faith dies in 214 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:36,400 a panic. I remember one time being at a 215 00:13:36,408 --> 00:13:39,300 wedding and I bumped into an individual that didn't know very 216 00:13:39,300 --> 00:13:42,900 well, but I knew enough of him to know that he did not love 217 00:13:42,900 --> 00:13:47,000 God. In fact, he blasphemed God He 218 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:51,500 was a wealthy individual, he had money, he had jewelry. 219 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:54,800 I before meeting this person, I had heard from another person 220 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:56,600 that he had gotten really, really sick. 221 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:02,000 I mean, very sick. And so when I saw this person at 222 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:04,100 the wedding, we began to converse and catch up. 223 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:07,700 And I had brought up the point that I heard that you were 224 00:14:07,700 --> 00:14:09,600 really ill. I won't point that you're still 225 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,800 almost recovering and he said, yeah, he began to describe how 226 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:14,700 it just happened. All for a sudden where this 227 00:14:14,700 --> 00:14:17,700 disease has struck in him and he had lost all this weight and 228 00:14:17,700 --> 00:14:19,700 bleeding, and all these different things, and he's in 229 00:14:19,700 --> 00:14:22,400 the hospital for weeks and months and huge show me even the 230 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:25,600 pictures on his phone of things that I don't even describe this 231 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:29,100 morning. And talking this person, I know 232 00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:32,400 where he stands with God, and I thought to myself, as he's 233 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:33,100 explaining it. Wow. 234 00:14:33,100 --> 00:14:34,500 Lord. You're So merciful that you're 235 00:14:34,500 --> 00:14:36,900 wounded. This person to surely wake him 236 00:14:36,900 --> 00:14:39,500 up and help him realize that life is short. 237 00:14:40,300 --> 00:14:43,300 That your house, your car is your jewelry means nothing. 238 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:47,800 And so letting him speak. Let him speak. 239 00:14:48,300 --> 00:14:51,300 I finally wanted to ask him because he had brought up the 240 00:14:51,300 --> 00:14:54,900 point that he had almost died. They had come to the place of 241 00:14:54,900 --> 00:14:57,800 death. Death's door was right there one 242 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:00,800 night in his hospital bed. And I was excited when he 243 00:15:00,808 --> 00:15:02,800 brought that up because I wanted to bring up the point. 244 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,700 That there's hope in death, that you don't have to fear death, 245 00:15:05,700 --> 00:15:07,500 that you don't have to worry about what's gonna happen when 246 00:15:07,500 --> 00:15:09,700 you die, if you have Christ. And so I brought up the 247 00:15:09,700 --> 00:15:14,700 question, Were you afraid? Did you have this sense of the 248 00:15:14,700 --> 00:15:16,900 unknown? Especially in that time when you 249 00:15:16,908 --> 00:15:18,500 were facing death? And you know what I was 250 00:15:18,500 --> 00:15:20,800 expecting? Oh yeah, you have the answers. 251 00:15:21,300 --> 00:15:24,300 Oh yeah, I sought God. Oh, yeah, I really wanted to 252 00:15:24,300 --> 00:15:26,700 know how I can have hope in the next life. 253 00:15:27,100 --> 00:15:30,400 And as I was anticipating that answer, as I asked it with such 254 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:32,000 excitement, he looked at me, he said, no. 255 00:15:34,500 --> 00:15:38,800 I'm not afraid of death. So I said, hold on. 256 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:43,000 Did I ask the right question? You're not afraid of death. 257 00:15:43,100 --> 00:15:44,600 Do you not know what's going to happen after you die? 258 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:45,900 No. In fact, I'm ready to stand 259 00:15:45,900 --> 00:15:50,500 before, God. That's myself, man. 260 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:52,400 No, you don't know what you're talking about. 261 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:56,700 That's all the conversation ended. 262 00:15:58,900 --> 00:16:00,500 I thought to myself. How can somebody who has no 263 00:16:00,500 --> 00:16:04,000 hope? Have such confidence. 264 00:16:04,900 --> 00:16:06,800 It's amazing what false peace can do. 265 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:12,100 False peace can take you to death itself and convince you 266 00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:19,500 that there isn't a living God that you will face. he says here 267 00:16:19,500 --> 00:16:24,300 in the next verse, They're not in trouble as others are there, 268 00:16:24,300 --> 00:16:26,900 not stricken like the rest of mankind. 269 00:16:28,500 --> 00:16:31,000 Those who live outside of Faith seem like they have trouble free 270 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,200 lives again, they go through life. 271 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:36,400 Their success. There's little consequence to 272 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,300 their sinful actions in the Rebellion against God, they 273 00:16:39,300 --> 00:16:44,400 still have good times. They still travel, they still 274 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:49,100 have nice homes and nice families, successful kids that 275 00:16:49,100 --> 00:16:53,600 go on to be educated and there seems to be little turbulence in 276 00:16:53,608 --> 00:16:57,200 their lives. And here I see Christians, 277 00:16:57,700 --> 00:17:01,200 Christian teenagers that have given their lives to Christ when 278 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:03,800 they were invited to a youth group, but day by day, they go 279 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:08,200 home to an abusive father. And abusive mother, I see 280 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:12,400 Christians struggling to get by another day financially. 281 00:17:13,099 --> 00:17:19,099 I see Christians parents who have wayward children that kids 282 00:17:19,099 --> 00:17:21,900 that are wasting their lives and Brokenness and sin. 283 00:17:21,900 --> 00:17:24,099 And I see others that they're not Christians and their kids 284 00:17:24,099 --> 00:17:28,300 are for honest, better than those of Christian households in 285 00:17:28,308 --> 00:17:31,600 terms of success and prosperity and all that good stuff. 286 00:17:33,300 --> 00:17:36,900 I don't get it. How does this make sense? 287 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:40,300 Brothers and sisters. We cannot make the mistake with 288 00:17:40,300 --> 00:17:44,200 our faith. That the psalmist has made and 289 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:47,300 that even jobs friends have made when they came to try to comfort 290 00:17:47,300 --> 00:17:51,400 him and failed miserably. They came with a theology. 291 00:17:51,700 --> 00:17:56,100 That's called retribution, theology, or retribution 292 00:17:56,100 --> 00:18:02,700 principle and idea, is this that if you do good God will do good 293 00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:06,900 to you. And if you do evil God will 294 00:18:06,900 --> 00:18:13,000 allow evil in your life. And though we have principles 295 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:17,700 and promises about walking with the lord, it's not as simple as 296 00:18:17,700 --> 00:18:22,200 that realize that when jobs friends came to him they were 297 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:25,900 trying to get it out of him that he had sinned in his life joke. 298 00:18:25,900 --> 00:18:28,800 You can't lose your family, you can't lose your business. 299 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,500 You can't lose your health and less, you've allowed sin in your 300 00:18:31,500 --> 00:18:32,300 life. Cough it up. 301 00:18:32,300 --> 00:18:34,000 That's what the Book of Job is all about. 302 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:37,500 That's what we have to be very careful of taking theology, out 303 00:18:37,500 --> 00:18:39,200 of the Book of Joel, because a lot of the things that these 304 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:42,700 friends said were wrong, A lot of it was true but they were 305 00:18:42,700 --> 00:18:47,000 implementing truth in a wrong way and so this whole dialogue 306 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,600 jobs friends might come on man the sooner the better you get 307 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:52,400 back right with God God is going to do good to you and Joe saying 308 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:54,100 I'm right? I don't have anything. 309 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:56,700 I can't think of anything that I'm wrong for here. 310 00:18:57,900 --> 00:18:59,900 The other disciples in John chapter 9. 311 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,100 They see a man born blind. They said hey Jesus have a 312 00:19:03,100 --> 00:19:06,700 question for you. What happened did this man 313 00:19:06,700 --> 00:19:10,100 sinned or his parents sin that he should be born this way. 314 00:19:10,500 --> 00:19:14,100 You know what? Jesus says wrong, both of them 315 00:19:14,100 --> 00:19:17,800 are wrong. Neither him nor his parents. 316 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:19,900 He's not paying the consequence for his own sin. 317 00:19:19,900 --> 00:19:22,900 And this matter, nor is his parents for his parents, in, 318 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:25,300 this has happened to him at the glory of God. 319 00:19:25,300 --> 00:19:28,700 May be displayed through it. You come to Acts chapter 28, 320 00:19:28,700 --> 00:19:32,100 verse forward, Paul in that ship were abandoned. 321 00:19:32,100 --> 00:19:33,500 And they were, there's a shipwreck and they found 322 00:19:33,500 --> 00:19:35,100 themselves on the island called Malta. 323 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:37,900 And as they're preparing a fire, because it was called a Viper 324 00:19:37,900 --> 00:19:41,000 comes in snaps on his hand and it's hanging there. 325 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:43,200 And let me read this. Look at the conclusion that 326 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:47,700 these And people were thinking, when the native people saw the 327 00:19:47,700 --> 00:19:50,900 creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, no 328 00:19:50,900 --> 00:19:53,700 doubt. This man is a murderer though. 329 00:19:53,700 --> 00:19:56,800 He has escaped from the sea justice has not allowed him to 330 00:19:56,800 --> 00:20:00,400 live. So you have Jesus disciples, you 331 00:20:00,408 --> 00:20:02,700 have jobs friends, you have this psalmist, you have even people 332 00:20:02,700 --> 00:20:05,900 in a pagan society that believe this idea of God you walk with 333 00:20:05,900 --> 00:20:07,600 God. Everything will go, right? 334 00:20:07,700 --> 00:20:10,200 You don't walk with God, everything will go wrong. 335 00:20:11,700 --> 00:20:15,500 And it's not that easy, it's not that simple, it's much more 336 00:20:15,500 --> 00:20:18,300 complicated than that. And if you and I believe that 337 00:20:18,300 --> 00:20:20,300 kind of idea, you know what we're going to do is a 338 00:20:20,308 --> 00:20:23,200 consequence many things and here's one of them, we will fail 339 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,400 to realize how God packages His blessings in different ways. 340 00:20:28,900 --> 00:20:32,400 Yes, God can bless you with good things and God is blessing us 341 00:20:32,500 --> 00:20:34,900 when it comes to health and when it comes to things, the Bible 342 00:20:34,900 --> 00:20:38,100 says every good and perfect gift comes from above, that's true, 343 00:20:38,300 --> 00:20:42,200 but don't limit it to that don't limit how God expresses His 344 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,500 blessings with things going well in your life, just hear this 345 00:20:45,500 --> 00:20:47,100 verse. Look what the psalmist said in 346 00:20:47,100 --> 00:20:50,900 the Book of Psalms, 119 verse 71, it is good. 347 00:20:50,900 --> 00:20:53,800 Look what he says. This is powerful, it is good for 348 00:20:53,800 --> 00:21:01,700 me that I was afflicted. Are you sure it is good for me 349 00:21:01,700 --> 00:21:04,200 that I was afflicted. That I might learn your 350 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:07,600 statutes. So this man experienced some 351 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:11,200 kind of Affliction, some kind of pain in his life, something and 352 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:13,300 you read the rest of that Psalm you realize, this is a man of 353 00:21:13,300 --> 00:21:16,300 God, who loved the word of God, who said, Thy word is a lamp 354 00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:18,500 unto my feet? I don't walk without your word, 355 00:21:18,500 --> 00:21:21,400 I seek your Counsel day by day and at one point he was 356 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:23,700 afflicted and he says it was good for me. 357 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,400 God packages blessing of my life with Affliction because it 358 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:30,100 brought me even closer to his word. 359 00:21:30,700 --> 00:21:32,300 Brought me closer to his presence. 360 00:21:32,700 --> 00:21:34,500 Brought me closer to the knowledge of him. 361 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,100 If you're being Afflicted in one way or another right now know 362 00:21:39,100 --> 00:21:41,900 this, if you're a believer in Christ, you may not see the 363 00:21:41,900 --> 00:21:43,100 blessing now. But wait till you come on. 364 00:21:43,100 --> 00:21:45,900 The other end. You'll realize that this 365 00:21:45,900 --> 00:21:48,800 psalmist I was afflicted. I didn't see it, maybe during 366 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:53,500 it, but I see it now and I say, oh, it was good for me that I 367 00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:58,700 was afflicted. We see in verse 6, Psalm 73, 368 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:02,400 therefore pride is there necklace violence, covers them 369 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:06,000 as a garment, their eyes swell out through fatness their hearts 370 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:10,100 overflow with Follies. So we see here that these Wicked 371 00:22:10,100 --> 00:22:15,400 people who are living autonomous independent apart from God Lives 372 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,700 realize, hey, we're not living for God. 373 00:22:18,700 --> 00:22:21,300 And look at all the good things that are happening to us and 374 00:22:21,300 --> 00:22:24,200 because of that failure to see, as we're going to find out in a 375 00:22:24,208 --> 00:22:27,500 moment that got indeed was watching and he was keeping 376 00:22:27,500 --> 00:22:29,300 those. What does he do? 377 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:32,000 One of the wicked, do they have more wickedness to their lives? 378 00:22:34,500 --> 00:22:36,600 They indulge themselves a more iniquity. 379 00:22:37,500 --> 00:22:39,600 They fail to see the consequences of sin. 380 00:22:40,100 --> 00:22:42,100 They don't immediately see the interventions of God's 381 00:22:42,100 --> 00:22:45,500 discipline and judgment and they go, you know what, let's do some 382 00:22:45,500 --> 00:22:48,300 more evil. You know what the psalmist is 383 00:22:48,300 --> 00:22:50,300 saying? Come on. 384 00:22:52,500 --> 00:22:56,100 Sure, I am swatting away Temptations like flies for my 385 00:22:56,100 --> 00:23:01,400 workplace in my high school. Here, I am fighting a war 386 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:04,900 against my flesh. It seems every hour here, I am. 387 00:23:04,900 --> 00:23:09,300 Truly trying to live. Holy And here these people 388 00:23:09,300 --> 00:23:14,300 drinking sin, like water. And everything seems to be going 389 00:23:14,300 --> 00:23:17,900 fine. His Holiness worth it. 390 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:21,100 Look, this is why he says in verse 13. 391 00:23:21,100 --> 00:23:23,000 Look at verse 13. Your Bibles please. 392 00:23:23,500 --> 00:23:28,200 All in vain, have I kept my heart clean and wash my hands in 393 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:30,700 innocence. For all the day long I've been 394 00:23:30,700 --> 00:23:32,700 stricken and rebuked every morning. 395 00:23:32,700 --> 00:23:40,000 It's not worth it. I'm trying to compare your, I'm 396 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:44,800 living with God, I'm living for God and they're not and they're 397 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,200 not only being blessed. This seems maybe even more 398 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:54,800 blessed than me. Am I wasting my time here? 399 00:23:56,100 --> 00:23:57,900 Am I really wasting my time doing this? 400 00:23:58,300 --> 00:24:00,400 What advantage do I have is a Godly Man. 401 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:06,000 They're boasting in their sin. They seem to be getting away 402 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,800 with it. They seem to, in fact think they 403 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:10,400 have God's approval to some degree. 404 00:24:12,900 --> 00:24:14,700 What I'm about to say is not going to be very politically 405 00:24:14,700 --> 00:24:19,000 correct. Hold tight in 2015. 406 00:24:20,900 --> 00:24:24,500 Ireland. Legalize same-sex marriage. 407 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:30,000 And interestingly enough that day, the voting polls were open 408 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:36,100 to legalize same-sex marriage. A double rainbow appeared in 409 00:24:36,100 --> 00:24:44,100 Dublin. and as it appeared, it was fuel for those who would 410 00:24:44,100 --> 00:24:49,800 oppose God's idea of marriage? To all the more rejoice in that 411 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:52,700 decision and it gained the attention of the world. 412 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:56,500 Let me read to you, what the huffing Huffington Post said. 413 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,800 As Ireland, headed to the polls, to vote on legalizing gay 414 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:02,400 marriage. Mother Nature seemed to 415 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:04,700 acknowledge the importance of the occasion. 416 00:25:04,700 --> 00:25:08,800 With a number of rainbows, some of them Double Rainbows that 417 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:12,100 were captured by Twitter users in the days, leading up to 418 00:25:12,100 --> 00:25:13,900 Friday's vote. Now let me read you a couple 419 00:25:13,900 --> 00:25:18,500 tweets that were kind of viral. There's one man who said there's 420 00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:24,100 a big gay rainbow over Dublin. If that's not Jesus giving the 421 00:25:24,100 --> 00:25:29,400 yes vote, I don't know what is Here's another one, there's a 422 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:33,100 rainbow over Dublin. Currently very appropriate. 423 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:41,800 God clearly approves Now, look at Psalm 73 verse 11. 424 00:25:44,700 --> 00:25:49,000 And they, the wicked say. How can God, no? 425 00:25:50,700 --> 00:25:52,800 Is there knowledge in the most high? 426 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:55,400 You know what they're saying? Against God. 427 00:25:57,100 --> 00:25:59,000 God doesn't really know what's right for us. 428 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:07,400 God's standard isn't really the only standard God has to update 429 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:10,400 with our culture. God has to keep in touch with 430 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:14,900 how we're developing. And in light of that example, 431 00:26:14,900 --> 00:26:16,300 that's exactly what they were thinking. 432 00:26:16,300 --> 00:26:22,800 God approves of this sin, God approves of this shift in our 433 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:27,700 understanding of traditional marriage. and I read one comment 434 00:26:27,700 --> 00:26:31,000 that I thought was Was totally right. 435 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:34,100 And as a response to that that the double rainbow wasn't a sign 436 00:26:34,100 --> 00:26:36,600 of double approval. It was a sign of God, reminding 437 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:38,500 himself, ee not to judge the world. 438 00:26:44,500 --> 00:26:49,000 The Wicked, the wicked. Have made a God in their own 439 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:52,000 image. Because they fail to see the 440 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:55,800 immediate Act of God's judgment and God's discipline. 441 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:00,100 Actually believe that, he's maybe even approving of their 442 00:27:00,100 --> 00:27:03,500 lifestyle. And I can name off different 443 00:27:03,500 --> 00:27:08,400 since here but let's continue and we can go on through the 444 00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:11,100 rest of the song trying to see what was weighing down, Aesop's 445 00:27:11,100 --> 00:27:14,100 heart. But what we see next in the 446 00:27:14,100 --> 00:27:16,000 transition of the psalm is where we want to give most of our 447 00:27:16,008 --> 00:27:19,600 attention. He says here in verse 16 but 448 00:27:19,900 --> 00:27:25,100 when I thought how to understand this It seemed to me a wearisome 449 00:27:25,100 --> 00:27:27,700 task. In other words, I've been 450 00:27:27,700 --> 00:27:33,200 dealing with this internally. In such a way that I couldn't 451 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:35,800 really express it to anybody. I mean, I'm a spiritual leader 452 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:39,400 here. I'm the guy leading the songs. 453 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:43,100 I'm the guy encouraging others to continue in the faith. 454 00:27:43,900 --> 00:27:48,200 But if I'm honest with you, I don't understand what benefit I 455 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:51,900 have living Fram. I'm trying to make sense of it. 456 00:27:51,900 --> 00:27:55,100 I'm really trying to weigh it out and I can't seem to come to 457 00:27:55,100 --> 00:27:58,400 a conclusion. So what do you and I do when we 458 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:02,900 feel like the world are circumstances, whatever it may 459 00:28:02,900 --> 00:28:07,700 be seems to pull us and trip us and have us walk a different 460 00:28:07,700 --> 00:28:09,200 direction. Well, let's see what the 461 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:13,800 psalmist did verse 17 until I went to the sanctuary of God. 462 00:28:16,700 --> 00:28:19,300 This bothered me. This was eating me up inside. 463 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:24,400 But everything changed. When I made one decision, when I 464 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,300 chose to come to church on Sunday morning. 465 00:28:29,100 --> 00:28:34,400 When I chose to, even in my doubts, even in my turmoil, even 466 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:39,400 in my frustration, I chose to come to meet with God. 467 00:28:41,300 --> 00:28:43,300 Because I'm not getting answers from myself. 468 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:47,700 And I know myself enough to say that I've lied to me more than 469 00:28:47,700 --> 00:28:51,000 anybody else. So where can I go to find some 470 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,700 answers? You go to where truth is 471 00:28:53,700 --> 00:28:58,400 proclaimed. And he goes with a presence of 472 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:02,700 God dwells. He goes with truth is known and 473 00:29:02,700 --> 00:29:06,200 he learned something. He was reminded of something. 474 00:29:07,500 --> 00:29:10,000 Because this is where you and I are reminded of Truth. 475 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:13,800 This is where you and I are. So bird from Temptation, are 476 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:17,300 cleansed from our own thoughts that are telling us, otherwise, 477 00:29:17,300 --> 00:29:20,500 and seem to even mix it with emotion and other people trying 478 00:29:20,500 --> 00:29:22,600 to pull us into a different lifestyle, or different way of 479 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:26,200 living. This is where we get relined, by 480 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:29,400 the word of God. No wonder the devil wants you 481 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:32,800 and I to skip church, especially church that proclaims the truth 482 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:34,600 wholeheartedly and without compromise. 483 00:29:35,500 --> 00:29:38,500 But he chose to go. And when he came, he learned 484 00:29:38,500 --> 00:29:41,800 something very quickly, we don't have to read about from Verse 18 485 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:44,700 to 22, he came to the realization. 486 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:49,200 That these present realities of the wicked and even the 487 00:29:49,208 --> 00:29:52,000 righteous are not permanent realities. 488 00:29:52,900 --> 00:29:55,900 They're not permanent now. If I would encourage you to turn 489 00:29:55,900 --> 00:29:57,000 to reverse, it would be this one. 490 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:01,500 Psalms 50 Psalms 50 just to read something. 491 00:30:04,100 --> 00:30:08,700 Beginning in verse 16. What did asaph learn? 492 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:12,000 I'm sure he learned something here. 493 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:18,700 What we read in verse 16 but to the wicked God says what right? 494 00:30:18,700 --> 00:30:21,800 Have you to recite my statutes, or take my Covenant on your 495 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,100 lips? God is speaking in this Psalm 496 00:30:24,700 --> 00:30:28,900 God is speaking to the wicked in this text but when he says for 497 00:30:28,900 --> 00:30:33,900 you hate discipline and you cast my words behind you, if you see 498 00:30:33,900 --> 00:30:37,200 a thief, you are pleased with him and you keep company with 499 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:42,600 adulterous verse 19, you Give your mouth free rein for evil, 500 00:30:42,700 --> 00:30:46,800 and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your 501 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:49,100 brother. You slander your own mother son. 502 00:30:49,100 --> 00:30:52,300 He's describing different sins, different behaviors that are, 503 00:30:52,300 --> 00:30:54,600 contrary to the heart, of God, to the will of God to the 504 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:58,100 Holiness of God. And what does he say? 505 00:30:58,100 --> 00:31:00,500 In verse 20? What is God say, in verse 21, 506 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:04,300 these things you have done and I've been silent. 507 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:11,900 You thought that I was one like yourself. but now I rebuke you 508 00:31:12,500 --> 00:31:16,800 and lay the charge before you You know what God is saying? 509 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:19,100 This is God speaking in that saw me, you know what he's saying? 510 00:31:20,100 --> 00:31:24,200 I'm I kept notice of all the things that you're doing, and 511 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:27,000 I've been silent. But here, this very carefully, 512 00:31:27,300 --> 00:31:29,200 please don't do this in your life. 513 00:31:29,500 --> 00:31:31,900 Please, please, please hear me very carefully. 514 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:37,000 Do not make the mistake of assuming that God's. 515 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,100 Patience is the same as his approval. 516 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:44,100 Can I say that one more time, many people who are living in a 517 00:31:44,100 --> 00:31:49,200 pattern of sinful, Behavior are assuming that God's apparent 518 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:54,700 silence. Is him really accepting what's 519 00:31:54,700 --> 00:31:57,100 going on? And he says, in that Psalm, I 520 00:31:57,100 --> 00:32:00,800 have been silent. And his silence is not a sign of 521 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:03,900 his approval. His silence is a reflection of 522 00:32:03,900 --> 00:32:08,500 his long-suffering and patience that even in your pattern of 523 00:32:08,500 --> 00:32:11,700 willful Rebellion against God, that you would realize that at 524 00:32:11,700 --> 00:32:15,500 one point that this is wrong. I'm sinning against him and I 525 00:32:15,508 --> 00:32:19,700 want to live for Christ. So then you have people in 526 00:32:19,700 --> 00:32:24,000 Ireland in 2015, that have assumed that the Silence of God 527 00:32:24,900 --> 00:32:28,300 was his acceptance. And yet people day-by-day 528 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,100 looking at their lives thinking nothing's going wrong. 529 00:32:31,300 --> 00:32:34,600 If there is a God, surely he's fine with what I'm doing because 530 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:40,400 there's nothing to show for it. You know who wrote Psalm 50. 531 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:43,100 Look at verse 1. Asaph. 532 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:50,400 ASAP did learn something. ASAP did come to realization. 533 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:52,800 Okay? So just because things are not 534 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:54,200 happening. Wrongfully for the wicked, 535 00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:56,600 doesn't mean that. God's approving of it means that 536 00:32:56,600 --> 00:33:01,200 one day God will bring a receipt. 537 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:06,900 And people will have to make a payment unfortunately because 538 00:33:06,900 --> 00:33:08,900 they refuse the one who made the payment for them. 539 00:33:10,100 --> 00:33:14,200 The blessed savior Jesus Christ. And so what happens? 540 00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:18,600 He reminds himself in God's house. 541 00:33:18,900 --> 00:33:22,800 Again, that God's silence is not his approval, but it is the 542 00:33:23,500 --> 00:33:26,500 expression of his patients. Do you remember the story of 543 00:33:26,500 --> 00:33:28,200 Adam and Eve when they sinned against God? 544 00:33:29,500 --> 00:33:31,700 Do you remember when God was looking for Adam? 545 00:33:32,500 --> 00:33:36,300 Where are you, Adam? Notice how he's approaching Adam 546 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,000 if you read it. Carefully says he was walking. 547 00:33:39,900 --> 00:33:44,800 He was walking. He was walking to Adam to face 548 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:50,300 Adam to discipline Adam. but if you read in Luke chapter 15 with 549 00:33:50,300 --> 00:33:54,900 the Prodigal Son and the son comes to his senses and he 550 00:33:54,900 --> 00:33:59,400 realizes what he had done in Rebellion against his father. 551 00:33:59,900 --> 00:34:02,900 He tries to muster up a speech and he says, you know, what I've 552 00:34:02,900 --> 00:34:06,700 rebelled against God, I rebelled against my father, I'm going to 553 00:34:06,708 --> 00:34:08,000 come to him and try to convince him. 554 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:10,300 Not to make me his son, but to make me a servant. 555 00:34:10,300 --> 00:34:12,500 I rather be a servant than eat from the pigs. 556 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:17,699 And so he comes back, and before he can even say a word, you know 557 00:34:17,707 --> 00:34:20,000 what, the father does read it carefully, he doesn't walk, he 558 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,800 runs, he runs towards the prodigal. 559 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:25,500 What does that mean? That God is slow to judgment and 560 00:34:25,500 --> 00:34:29,600 quick to Mercy God, when it comes to judgment, when it comes 561 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:33,199 to discipline, he walks, he's slow to it. 562 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,000 But when I repented heart comes before, mrs. 563 00:34:36,100 --> 00:34:37,500 I really want to get right with you. 564 00:34:37,699 --> 00:34:41,500 He runs towards you and when he runs towards you I want to speak 565 00:34:41,500 --> 00:34:46,300 to the product was in here. if you're in sin right now and you 566 00:34:46,300 --> 00:34:51,699 know that you're in sin, Don't try to convince yourself even 567 00:34:51,699 --> 00:34:53,500 though you know truth even though you walk with them I'm 568 00:34:53,500 --> 00:34:57,400 one moment don't try to convince yourself and convince God for 569 00:34:57,400 --> 00:34:59,800 that matter that you're not worthy of his full blessing. 570 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:02,000 Even though you knew that you were walking rebelling against 571 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:03,700 him because I want to let you know what happened. 572 00:35:03,700 --> 00:35:06,400 When the product went back he didn't go back and convince the 573 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:07,500 father of the father so you know what? 574 00:35:07,500 --> 00:35:09,300 Yeah, let me let me put you with the service. 575 00:35:09,300 --> 00:35:11,100 The father said, go get the best robe. 576 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:14,800 Go get the best robe and we're going to celebrate the fact that 577 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:16,700 he come back. If you need to come back to God 578 00:35:16,700 --> 00:35:18,200 today. No, this he's waiting with a 579 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:22,700 robe a ring and a feast and all of Heaven Will Rejoice the fact 580 00:35:22,700 --> 00:35:24,900 that you've decided to walk with him again. 581 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:31,100 He's slow to judgement. He's so quick to Mercy. 582 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:34,900 Let me read this poem to you, we're going to close in a 583 00:35:34,908 --> 00:35:37,500 moment. This poem is called a hundred 584 00:35:37,500 --> 00:35:40,700 years from now. Pay, very close attention. 585 00:35:40,700 --> 00:35:42,800 I know with all the phones ring in a Texan, the snapshots and 586 00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:46,400 it's just right here, pay attention. 587 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:50,000 It will not make much difference friend. 588 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:56,000 A hundred years from now. If you live in a stately Mansion 589 00:35:57,100 --> 00:36:00,900 or on a floating River, scowl if the clothes you wear are 590 00:36:00,900 --> 00:36:06,000 tailor-made or pieced together, somehow if you eat big steaks or 591 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:10,300 beans and Cake, 100 years from now, it won't matter about your 592 00:36:10,300 --> 00:36:14,900 bank account or the make of car, you drive for the grave will 593 00:36:14,900 --> 00:36:18,300 claim your riches, and fame, and the things for which you strive, 594 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:21,800 There's a deadline. We must all meet and no one will 595 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:24,000 turn up late. It won't matter. 596 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:27,600 Then all the places you've been each one will keep that date. 597 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:34,200 We will only have eternity. What we give away on earth when 598 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:37,800 we go to the Grave, we can only save the things of Eternal worth 599 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:42,900 what matters, friend the Earthly gain for which some men always 600 00:36:42,900 --> 00:36:45,500 bow for your destiny will be sealed. 601 00:36:45,500 --> 00:36:48,100 You see a hundred years from now. 602 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:56,200 Poem by Walden Parker. And after being dealt with, by 603 00:36:56,200 --> 00:37:00,100 God in the sanctuary of God. When he had received a Divine 604 00:37:00,100 --> 00:37:04,000 standpoint, we need to receive the Eternal perspective on how 605 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:05,600 God will deal with all of mankind. 606 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:07,200 Both the righteous and the wicked. 607 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:10,600 He realized something I was wrong. 608 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:15,900 And he says, in verse 22, I was brutish and ignorant. 609 00:37:17,300 --> 00:37:20,600 I was like a beast towards you. I've allowed my thinking to come 610 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:23,200 to such a place where I was like an animal. 611 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:34,100 My reason but here, this very carefully as we close The he did 612 00:37:34,100 --> 00:37:36,900 not only come to that conclusion, after coming to the 613 00:37:36,900 --> 00:37:39,200 house of God, he didn't come to the conclusion. 614 00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:43,300 Only that God will eventually judge the wicked for their 615 00:37:43,500 --> 00:37:47,700 Rebellion against him. No, no, it wasn't just a future 616 00:37:47,700 --> 00:37:51,400 realization ASAP. Had a present understanding of 617 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:54,500 how really on a surface level. It seems like the wicked have a 618 00:37:54,500 --> 00:37:56,900 better than the righteous. He couldn't be more wrong in 619 00:37:56,900 --> 00:38:00,200 that either. Why, what is he saying verse 23? 620 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,900 Less. Nevertheless, I am continually 621 00:38:03,900 --> 00:38:05,800 with you. You hold my right hand. 622 00:38:06,900 --> 00:38:10,200 He goes, okay, I understand that there's going to be a judgment 623 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:11,800 to come. I understand that it's going to 624 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:14,600 be all dealt with and justice will prevail, but there's 625 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:18,100 something about now that I realize that he holds my right 626 00:38:18,100 --> 00:38:23,800 hand, he holds my right hand we're talking about God holding 627 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:26,800 your hand. You don't hold the hand of a 628 00:38:26,808 --> 00:38:30,700 stranger, I hope. This is familiar language. 629 00:38:30,700 --> 00:38:32,700 This is intimacy. This is communion. 630 00:38:32,900 --> 00:38:36,400 This is God saying and revealing to us through this that I'm 631 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:40,500 holding you I'm holding you, I'm leading you. 632 00:38:40,500 --> 00:38:43,800 I'm comforting you, I'm with you and he's saying this in light of 633 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:46,600 the fact that he went through intense season of doubt, and he 634 00:38:46,600 --> 00:38:50,900 still knew that even in my doubt of the goodness of God, even in 635 00:38:50,900 --> 00:38:54,300 my false, convincing and the persuasion actually pulling me 636 00:38:54,300 --> 00:38:56,300 away from him. God was still with me. 637 00:38:57,700 --> 00:39:02,500 I praise God that in the moments of Despair Temptation 638 00:39:02,500 --> 00:39:05,700 persuasion, whatever you want to call it that God doesn't crush 639 00:39:05,700 --> 00:39:08,600 me in that moment. God doesn't look at me. 640 00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:10,100 Say haven't I? Done enough for you. 641 00:39:11,300 --> 00:39:13,000 Hasn't my son done enough for you? 642 00:39:14,100 --> 00:39:15,600 Have you been to enough Bible studies? 643 00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:18,600 Haven't you heard enough sermons out with you? 644 00:39:20,500 --> 00:39:24,700 No, he says, I hold you, you're gonna get out of this. 645 00:39:25,200 --> 00:39:26,300 You're going to realize soon enough. 646 00:39:26,300 --> 00:39:27,700 Just come to the sanctuary of God. 647 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:31,200 Come into my presence, no matter how long it takes, watch how I'm 648 00:39:31,207 --> 00:39:32,800 going to lead you out of this doubt. 649 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:37,300 I'm gonna lead you out of this false persuasion that your flesh 650 00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:39,300 that your friends, that your family are trying to pull you 651 00:39:39,300 --> 00:39:45,000 into, you hold my right hand. There's a stop there. 652 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:48,600 He says, in verse 24, you guide me with your counsel and 653 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:50,300 afterward you will receive me to Glory. 654 00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:53,800 So it's not just this intimacy with God. 655 00:39:53,900 --> 00:39:57,600 It's the fact that God and his children when he deals with you 656 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:01,100 and I he does not leave us in this life by ourselves. 657 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:06,600 He navigates you and me through this life day by day, he guides 658 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:09,300 us with his counsel, we have his word, we have the indwelling of 659 00:40:09,300 --> 00:40:12,700 the Holy Spirit, I was having a conversation with a friend not 660 00:40:12,700 --> 00:40:14,900 too long ago about. I don't know how we came to this 661 00:40:14,900 --> 00:40:17,100 point but we were talking about growing up in the 90s. 662 00:40:17,100 --> 00:40:19,700 I'm a 90s baby. And we're talking about how 663 00:40:19,700 --> 00:40:22,300 great it was to grow up in the 90s as a child. 664 00:40:23,300 --> 00:40:25,400 You know, like if you wanted to go hang out with your friend, 665 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:27,700 there's no such thing as texting them to come outside. 666 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:29,700 Oh no. You have to get on your bike, 667 00:40:29,900 --> 00:40:32,300 you to go down the street, you have to face the parents at the 668 00:40:32,300 --> 00:40:35,500 door and knock and ask. If whoever is that home? 669 00:40:36,100 --> 00:40:39,900 No come back in a couple hours. I'll come back with my bike rain 670 00:40:39,900 --> 00:40:43,500 snow summer. You played outside, you played 671 00:40:43,500 --> 00:40:44,700 outside. And how do you know you're going 672 00:40:44,700 --> 00:40:45,700 home? You have to go home when the 673 00:40:45,700 --> 00:40:47,400 street lights start coming on. Okay, time to go. 674 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:48,300 Home. Dinner's ready? 675 00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:52,100 And all these wonderful memories of growing up in the 90s. 676 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:55,200 But there is one thing we concluded that we're thankful 677 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:58,700 for that, we didn't grow up in the 90s without I'm thankful. 678 00:40:58,700 --> 00:41:03,100 I was in a young adult in the 90s for one main reason no GPS 679 00:41:03,100 --> 00:41:08,100 has Because I remember as a 90s kid sitting in the backseat of 680 00:41:08,100 --> 00:41:11,700 my parent's car, and seeing how their map would cover. 3/4 of 681 00:41:11,700 --> 00:41:14,300 the windshield, trying to figure out how to go to a specific 682 00:41:14,300 --> 00:41:16,400 location risking our lives every single time. 683 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:20,300 And I know this sounds funny but hear me out talking with my 684 00:41:20,300 --> 00:41:22,700 friend thinking to myself. Can you imagine what life was 685 00:41:22,700 --> 00:41:24,800 like, without a GPS? Can you imagine trying to go 686 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:27,300 anywhere without punching it and address placing it on that 687 00:41:27,300 --> 00:41:28,900 magnet driving and trusting that? 688 00:41:28,900 --> 00:41:31,000 Wherever this lady's gonna take me is going to be where I need 689 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:34,700 to go. I thought to myself, What would 690 00:41:34,700 --> 00:41:37,300 life be without a GPS? And here's a thought, how can 691 00:41:37,300 --> 00:41:44,100 people live without God? I don't know how they do it. 692 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,900 How can you live through this life without being navigated by 693 00:41:47,900 --> 00:41:50,400 him? How can you not have his 694 00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:52,700 instruction to know how to deal with circumstance? 695 00:41:52,700 --> 00:41:55,100 Not a deal with people that a deal with different things. 696 00:41:55,500 --> 00:41:59,700 How can you go through this life without God's spirit indwelling 697 00:41:59,700 --> 00:42:02,400 you saying, this is the way you should go walk in it. 698 00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:05,000 No son. Don't go there circumstances, 699 00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:08,300 people, spiritual leaders are also filled with the Holy Spirit 700 00:42:08,300 --> 00:42:11,600 leading you and guiding you. Thank God for God. 701 00:42:13,500 --> 00:42:19,700 You guide me with your counsel. And he doesn't do it. 702 00:42:19,707 --> 00:42:21,300 Just partly. He doesn't do it. 703 00:42:21,300 --> 00:42:23,900 Just in your younger years and then later on you become normal 704 00:42:23,900 --> 00:42:27,500 and you just go through life. No, he says, I'm going to lead 705 00:42:27,500 --> 00:42:30,500 you until I bring you into Glory. 706 00:42:31,700 --> 00:42:33,300 There's not a season of life that he doesn't lead you. 707 00:42:33,308 --> 00:42:36,800 If you want to cling to him he'll lead you And when you look 708 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:39,300 back from Glory, I can guarantee you this, you will see how he 709 00:42:39,300 --> 00:42:42,300 has, truly LED you protected you, and whatever he needed to 710 00:42:42,308 --> 00:42:45,000 do to make sure that you would along the way, be conformed to 711 00:42:45,008 --> 00:42:47,400 the image of his son and touches many people for his name. 712 00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:51,400 No wonder he explodes in verse 25. 713 00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:55,400 Whom have I in heaven, but you Whom have I in heaven but you 714 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:58,400 and there is nothing on Earth. I desire. 715 00:42:58,400 --> 00:43:01,200 Besides you, this is a different person than what we read from 716 00:43:01,200 --> 00:43:04,700 verse for down. Whom have I in heaven but you 717 00:43:05,300 --> 00:43:07,100 and you know what? I've come to this conclusion, no 718 00:43:07,100 --> 00:43:09,400 matter what the wicked has, no matter what the righteous have. 719 00:43:09,800 --> 00:43:15,300 I have this one thing and it is enough God himself Our faith. 720 00:43:15,900 --> 00:43:18,700 If you claim to be a Christian in this place and you can't say 721 00:43:18,700 --> 00:43:20,800 that, you have to ask yourself, some serious questions about the 722 00:43:20,800 --> 00:43:22,200 temperature of your spirituality. 723 00:43:23,200 --> 00:43:25,500 It's not about going to church on Easter and Christmas. 724 00:43:26,100 --> 00:43:29,400 It's not about performing some sacraments, it's not about doing 725 00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:31,300 this and doing that, and checking it off and having some 726 00:43:31,300 --> 00:43:32,800 kind of insurance to get into heaven. 727 00:43:33,300 --> 00:43:36,000 What is this Faith about where your heart is ravish and 728 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:38,600 captivated by Christ. You realize that he's forgiving 729 00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:41,200 you for your sin and now he wants to walk with you day by 730 00:43:41,200 --> 00:43:42,300 day. Do you have that? 731 00:43:43,700 --> 00:43:49,900 Do you have that? You're not a Christian because 732 00:43:49,900 --> 00:43:52,800 you have a cross around your neck and you're not a Christian. 733 00:43:52,800 --> 00:43:56,600 If you got baptized as a baby, you're a Christian when you 734 00:43:56,607 --> 00:43:59,800 realize that he paid for your sin and you've received them by 735 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:02,800 faith and he is, Lord of your life. 736 00:44:06,700 --> 00:44:09,300 My Flesh and my heart May Fail. But God is the strength of my 737 00:44:09,300 --> 00:44:13,000 heart and my portion forever and let's just conclude here, verse 738 00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:16,400 27. Behold, those who are far from, 739 00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:19,800 You Shall Perish, you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to 740 00:44:19,800 --> 00:44:21,500 you and look what he says in verse 28. 741 00:44:21,900 --> 00:44:23,600 But for me, it is good to be near God. 742 00:44:25,100 --> 00:44:30,100 Different person. It's good to be near God and I 743 00:44:30,107 --> 00:44:31,900 have made the Lord God my refuge. 744 00:44:32,700 --> 00:44:36,100 It's another way of saying I've chosen though I don't understand 745 00:44:36,100 --> 00:44:40,800 everything to its fullest capacity to trust in God to to 746 00:44:40,800 --> 00:44:44,200 rely on his wisdom to rely on his timing to rely that he is in 747 00:44:44,200 --> 00:44:48,000 control. And because of that I'm safe. 748 00:44:49,500 --> 00:44:52,400 You and I have to make a conclusion that being with god, 749 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:57,500 without gold is better than having treasure without God. 750 00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:01,200 You and I have to be convinced that being with God, in 751 00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:05,700 sickness, is better than being without God and health you and I 752 00:45:05,707 --> 00:45:08,700 have to come to the conclusion that being with God and 753 00:45:08,700 --> 00:45:12,200 persecution, is being better than being without God and 754 00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:17,200 having popularity, And that's the conclusion that he makes and 755 00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:20,200 it doesn't end there. He says I will make God my 756 00:45:20,200 --> 00:45:23,800 refuge that I may tell of all your works. 757 00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:28,800 I'm going to let my life from this moment on readers of this 758 00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:32,800 Psalm. Know the goodness of God, I'm 759 00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:35,000 going to declare to the world that it doesn't matter what you 760 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:36,800 have or you don't have. If you have God you have 761 00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:39,300 everything. I want to tell the world that 762 00:45:39,300 --> 00:45:42,100 things may not make sense. We are legalizing things 763 00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:44,900 concerning life, concerning everything that seems to be 764 00:45:44,900 --> 00:45:47,800 against the word of God and it seems to be no intervention days 765 00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:49,700 are only being darker and darker it seems. 766 00:45:49,700 --> 00:45:51,400 But I'm gonna trust and tell everybody that one day. 767 00:45:51,400 --> 00:45:53,200 God is going to clean up this mess. 768 00:45:53,700 --> 00:45:56,800 I'm going to Claire, The Works of God. 769 00:45:59,300 --> 00:46:01,100 Have you ever wondered what happened to Ace after this 770 00:46:01,100 --> 00:46:05,800 point? Have you ever wondered what kind 771 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:07,600 of Legacy left? What kind of influence he 772 00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:09,700 probably had based on that decision? 773 00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:15,000 maybe we can't make strong conclusions, but if you read 774 00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:18,900 this little obscure verse in the book of Ezra chapter 2, It's 775 00:46:18,900 --> 00:46:22,300 when the Israelites were many years. 776 00:46:22,300 --> 00:46:25,900 Many, many years after this song was written, were taken out of 777 00:46:25,900 --> 00:46:29,100 Israel to go into captivity in Babylon and we're later brought 778 00:46:29,100 --> 00:46:33,700 back into Jerusalem and there's this list of genealogies to keep 779 00:46:33,700 --> 00:46:37,700 record of who from what descendant, came back to the 780 00:46:37,700 --> 00:46:40,100 nation, and look what it says in Ezra 241. 781 00:46:40,100 --> 00:46:43,700 I thought it was precious. Just a simple verse the singers, 782 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:51,800 the sons of asaph 128, the singers, the sons of asaph 128, 783 00:46:52,200 --> 00:46:57,100 and I thought to myself, Here's a man who chose not to walk away 784 00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:02,100 but chose to stay walking with him and could it be that the 785 00:47:02,107 --> 00:47:05,800 result of his faithfulness? Was that his offspring for days 786 00:47:05,800 --> 00:47:09,300 to come would serve God and live for God? 787 00:47:09,400 --> 00:47:14,600 He's talking about 128, musicians, 128 ministers, 128, 788 00:47:14,600 --> 00:47:19,000 people that as a result of perhaps this man making that 789 00:47:19,000 --> 00:47:22,200 choice of standing firm would benefit from his faithfulness, 790 00:47:22,200 --> 00:47:24,200 you have no idea what your Yes to God can do. 791 00:47:24,400 --> 00:47:27,800 Do not just in your lifetime but Pastor lifetime. 792 00:47:29,000 --> 00:47:32,300 I will tell of all your works. I will declare from generation 793 00:47:32,300 --> 00:47:36,700 to generation how good God is. Despite this world falling apart 794 00:47:36,700 --> 00:47:38,500 and maybe even thinking that their life is better without 795 00:47:38,500 --> 00:47:40,600 him. I if I have any voice of have 796 00:47:40,600 --> 00:47:43,700 any influence, I myself will stand on this truth. 797 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:48,300 He is enough. Do you know him this morning? 798 00:47:50,500 --> 00:47:52,500 I'm not talking about you going to church, I'm asking if you 799 00:47:52,500 --> 00:47:55,800 know him like the psalmist knew him if you don't. 800 00:47:57,000 --> 00:48:00,000 Today can be your day. Today could be your day where 801 00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:03,600 you come to that point where you say, maybe I've been religious. 802 00:48:05,900 --> 00:48:08,800 Maybe I had this understand that God is there, but there is no 803 00:48:08,800 --> 00:48:11,500 hint of real relationship with him. 804 00:48:13,200 --> 00:48:14,500 I mean, you've been sitting here this whole time. 805 00:48:14,500 --> 00:48:17,400 You're thinking I don't really fully get it, but I know I don't 806 00:48:17,400 --> 00:48:22,600 have it. It can be yours because there is 807 00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:26,400 a real God who? So loved you that he sent his 808 00:48:26,400 --> 00:48:28,600 son because there's a Chasm. There's a separation between you 809 00:48:28,600 --> 00:48:34,300 and God all Humanity, God, if sin and he sent his son to pay a 810 00:48:34,300 --> 00:48:38,400 price and build a bridge between you and the father, he paid the 811 00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:41,000 price, no matter what you've done in your life, it doesn't 812 00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:43,100 matter how black it is. It doesn't matter. 813 00:48:43,100 --> 00:48:48,100 The stains of sin on your soul, know this that he sees it and 814 00:48:48,100 --> 00:48:51,900 he's not ready to You he's ready to forgive you he's ready to 815 00:48:51,900 --> 00:48:54,500 come and cleanse you and I just cleanse you to bring you into 816 00:48:54,500 --> 00:48:56,900 Glory but cleanse you so that you can have fellowship with him 817 00:48:56,900 --> 00:49:00,200 in this life. He's here to take those burdens 818 00:49:00,200 --> 00:49:02,400 away. He's here to tell you if you 819 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:05,800 receive him that you can walk through anything in this life 820 00:49:05,900 --> 00:49:08,700 and no like what Jesus said that you will have trouble in this 821 00:49:08,700 --> 00:49:11,600 world, but take heart, I have overcome the world take heart. 822 00:49:11,600 --> 00:49:13,300 I've given you a peace that surpasses. 823 00:49:13,300 --> 00:49:16,500 All understanding take heart that you can see all this chaos 824 00:49:16,500 --> 00:49:19,000 and have this assurance that God is in control. 825 00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:23,900 And it's an invitation that God makes to all men if they're 826 00:49:23,900 --> 00:49:28,300 willing to Humble themselves and say I need this God, I need you. 827 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:33,800 And know this, when you ready to make that decision, when you're 828 00:49:33,800 --> 00:49:36,600 ready to humble yourself, when you're ready to see what this 829 00:49:36,600 --> 00:49:39,200 word says, is true about the human nature and how good God 830 00:49:39,200 --> 00:49:41,700 is, and you come to that place, where you say enough is enough, 831 00:49:41,700 --> 00:49:45,000 I Surrender my life to Christ, he won't walk towards you, he'll 832 00:49:45,000 --> 00:49:50,000 run. He's waiting, but he's not going 833 00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:53,000 to push himself on you. He's not going to force you. 834 00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:55,500 He's gonna wait for you to come to that realization that you're 835 00:49:55,500 --> 00:49:59,200 eating out of a pig's pain. And like that. 836 00:49:59,200 --> 00:50:01,700 Prodigal son, you spent everything on the world, you 837 00:50:01,700 --> 00:50:06,200 indulge yourself, you went to the bank and you're still empty 838 00:50:06,200 --> 00:50:10,100 inside. And I father, you read in Luke. 839 00:50:10,100 --> 00:50:11,800 15 did not run and chase his son. 840 00:50:11,800 --> 00:50:14,700 He was waiting for him. All he needed. 841 00:50:14,700 --> 00:50:17,300 All he needed was the son to term. 842 00:50:17,900 --> 00:50:19,900 And once he did, he came after him. 843 00:50:20,600 --> 00:50:24,600 Would you do that this morning? Would you do that this morning? 844 00:50:25,600 --> 00:50:26,200 Let's pray. Let's pray.