1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:02,960 Well, good morning, Crossing Church. 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,960 How are you doing today? It is good. 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,720 And I'm not going to ask you this time, decide to try to get 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:14,360 you to do it louder. And there's a reason for that, 5 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:19,840 because the song that we just sang, I'm praying God come and 6 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:21,840 turn this thing around. I mean, that's kind of a 7 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:23,400 reflection of my heart right now. 8 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:29,240 I don't know about you, but do you feel a little bit like your 9 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:35,080 heart is under attack if you're watching the news, if, if you're 10 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:39,680 seeing what's going on in the world, whether we're talking 11 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:45,000 about the this what Hamas did coming into Israel. 12 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:49,880 I mean, we've got a group that was planning on going to Israel, 13 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:54,960 156 people the day after Christmas and all that's being 14 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:59,320 canceled and then, you know, rescheduled and going through a 15 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,440 we're going to have to go through a whole process there 16 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,840 because, you know, it's a war over there. 17 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:08,400 Now. The idea that people are all 18 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:17,160 over the world marching and and chanting Hamas slogans is kind 19 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:22,280 of beyond me as well. And I'm I'm trying to understand 20 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:24,600 the human heart. You you hear the story about a 21 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:28,240 guy that goes into a bowling alley in a restaurant and shoots 22 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:33,160 the place up and and kills 18 people and injuries more and 23 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:38,600 then goes and kills himself. What in the world is wrong with 24 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:40,680 this world? Right? 25 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:47,400 And it and it can really be like a weight on us, right? 26 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:52,520 Like, what do I do with this? What do I do with with, with 27 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:54,280 these feelings? Then I come to church. 28 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:59,520 I come into a place like this. We sing a song like that. 29 00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:04,440 But then we see what God, and only God can do as person after 30 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:09,039 person after person, turns their heart over to the saving power 31 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:12,560 of Jesus Christ. And that gives me hope. 32 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,120 That's what that song says. All of my hope is in the name, 33 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:21,440 the name of Jesus. So I hope today that that's 34 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:24,400 what's happening in your heart, that you're you're saying, you 35 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:29,080 know, I know that these I'm not. I'm not shutting my my eyes. 36 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,560 I'm not covering my ears. I I know what's going on in the 37 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:38,280 world around me, but all it does is reinforce the fact that I 38 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:41,200 need to put all of my hope in the name of Jesus. 39 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:45,200 And this is exactly where you need to be to do that. 40 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:48,360 And we're thankful for everyone that's joining from all of our 41 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,120 locations all around this area in three states. 42 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:55,240 And if you're inside or online, we're thankful for you as well. 43 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:59,760 And last week we introduced a new series called Handle with 44 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:05,120 Care, and it's about the heart of David and the life of David. 45 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:11,320 And we explored his heart last week when we were talking about 46 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:15,560 how God formed it and and how God chose him and called him. 47 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:20,680 And we got a feeling of the raw material of a man that was after 48 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:23,360 God's own heart. And we learned some things about 49 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:25,000 David. I know I learned some things 50 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,760 about David. That that he was despised 51 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,760 probably because of other people's sin, not his. 52 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,320 That he was overlooked. That he was the least in his 53 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:39,440 family. That he was subject to harsh and 54 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,600 dangerous circumstances that the people that were supposed to 55 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:47,440 love him actually put him in. That he was in the most humble 56 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:50,280 of circumstances. And yet those were the 57 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:54,560 circumstances that God used to shape David's heart. 58 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,560 And what I see in David is that at that point in his life, he 59 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:03,120 doesn't curse his lot in life, but he embraces it instead. 60 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:07,040 And he chooses in that embracing, in that keeping a 61 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:12,080 positive mental attitude, he is choosing the substance of his 62 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,520 heart. And the substance of David's 63 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:20,920 heart, in a wide overview, is that it was humble. 64 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,480 David chose to have a humble heart. 65 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:31,240 Now that's a sermon I need to hear, because I really struggle 66 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:37,160 in this area, that this is a besetting sin of mine, that I I 67 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:38,960 tend to want to have a prideful heart. 68 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:43,000 Maybe you're where I am and maybe you're a little bit of a 69 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:47,440 control freak like I am, and and you want to have more of a 70 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:49,840 prideful heart. You want to depend more on 71 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:52,280 yourself. You want to have a sense of 72 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:55,520 independence. But what I see in David at the 73 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,920 core is a humble heart. And what is that? 74 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:00,720 When I say that, what does that mean? 75 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:07,440 A humble heart is a soft heart. It's a heart that is more easily 76 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:14,400 molded into whatever God wants it to be, and you can see that 77 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,400 illustrated in different ways. Like a humble heart finds 78 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:23,480 gratitude easier instead of being bitter, right? 79 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,680 It tries to capture the blessings, even if those 80 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:30,760 blessings are small. And it finds that easy to do. 81 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:32,840 How about you? Are you that way? 82 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:36,360 Are you able to capture blessings, or do you want to 83 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,920 concentrate on the bitter stuff in life? 84 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:44,160 And even if those blessings are kind of hard to find, you find 85 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:48,480 them easier with a soft and humble heart. 86 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:51,960 You know, a humble heart doesn't want to take the credit. 87 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:57,040 It would rather give the credit. And that's because a humble 88 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:00,600 heart is a generous heart. And that is generosity, when 89 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:02,800 instead of trying to take the credit for yourself, you'd 90 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:06,120 rather give it either to God or to someone else. 91 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:14,800 A humble heart is a teachable heart, and I struggle sometimes 92 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:18,000 having a teachable heart and a prideful heart's. 93 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,000 The opposite of that is he a prideful heart. 94 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,400 He can't learn anything because it already believes it knows 95 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:30,880 everything, right? But a humble heart is teachable, 96 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:35,160 and and this is where David's choice comes in. 97 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:38,400 You see, the raw material was there because God created 98 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:40,920 David's heart. And the raw material for 99 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,400 everything that God wants to do in your life, it's already 100 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:46,920 there. Do you know that anything and 101 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:51,240 everything that God calls you to do in life, He has already 102 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:55,360 equipped you with all of the raw material that you need to do 103 00:06:55,360 --> 00:07:00,440 that, But that does not absolve you of making the proper choices 104 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:05,240 so that your heart is a conduit for all that raw material to be 105 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:11,720 expressed, glorifying God. When we come to David, it was 106 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:15,600 like, you know, he was, he had the raw material and was wired 107 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:20,600 to be a leader, but he became a good follower first, and that 108 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:22,600 was where his humble heart and his choice came in. 109 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:28,480 He was wired to be a champion, but his first battles against 110 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,920 the lion and the bear were never even noticed by anyone else 111 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,760 except him and God. He was wired to be this 112 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:41,800 incredible artist, this this musician, this songwriter, but 113 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:45,840 he found inspiration in the most normal, base, basic things in 114 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,720 life. He was wired to be this 115 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:53,120 incredible prophet, this foreteller and 4th teller, but 116 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,480 he never took advantage of that gift that God had given him to 117 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:01,760 manipulate people. You see, all of those choices 118 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:09,000 that David made were proceeding out of a humble heart, and we 119 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,160 are the ones who determine the substance of our hearts. 120 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:18,280 If we choose to be prideful, we'll be like Pharaoh in the Old 121 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:22,200 Testament, where, you know, Moses tells Pharaoh, let my 122 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:25,000 people go. But the Bible says that Pharaoh 123 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:29,160 hardened his heart. He made a choice about how he 124 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:32,080 was going to receive the message of God. 125 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:36,679 He had a prideful heart, not a humble heart, and so it he 126 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:38,960 hardened his heart. And then, after we get through 127 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,679 about half the plagues, it says God hardened Pharaoh's heart, 128 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:47,520 which means the effect that God had on a prideful heart was to 129 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:49,360 harden it rather than to soften it. 130 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:54,520 It was Pharaoh that made the decision of what the substance 131 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:56,800 of his heart would be. If it would have been the 132 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:58,920 substance of wax, it would have melted. 133 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:03,040 But because he chose for it to be the substance of clay, it 134 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:12,760 hardened under the light of God. See, a heart that's prideful is 135 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:17,080 a heart that God has to shatter before he can mold it. 136 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:23,760 But if we choose to be humble, our hearts will be pliable, and 137 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,000 we'll be able to see God's purpose no matter what the 138 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:32,200 circumstances are that we face. You know, Jesus talked about 139 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:36,520 this in the most famous sermon he ever preached, which was in 140 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:39,320 Matthew 5-6 and seven. We call it the Sermon on the 141 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:41,440 Mount. And the Sermon on the Mount 142 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:45,880 begins with the Beatitudes. And the Beatitudes are these 143 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:48,920 beautiful attitudes we're supposed to have. 144 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:52,760 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of 145 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:54,920 God. Blessed are they that mourn, for 146 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:58,280 they'll be comforted, right? You know, he says all of these 147 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:02,280 things at the beginning. But when you look at this, when 148 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:05,440 you look at this, the first one, the first one is actually 149 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:07,480 talking about the substance of your heart. 150 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,760 What does it mean to be poor in spirit? 151 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:15,200 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God 152 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:19,680 or the Kingdom of heaven. It means that you recognize your 153 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:23,760 spiritual poverty. A humble heart recognizes 154 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,240 spiritual part of poverty, poor in spirit. 155 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,240 So I want to seek the Lord 1st instead of my own needs. 156 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:38,000 First, would we approach God and we approach God with a prideful 157 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:40,240 heart. It's like we have a cup in our 158 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,120 hands. OK, but that cup is already 159 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,920 full. Like we're asking God, Lord, 160 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:48,520 fill my cup. But he can't because it's 161 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:52,800 already full of your stuff. You know what I'm trying to say? 162 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:55,720 A prideful heart is already full of your own stuff. 163 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:58,280 And so the first thing that we have to do if we want to have a 164 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,840 humble heart before God is we have to turn the cup over. 165 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:04,240 And you have to pour that stuff out. 166 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:08,640 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of 167 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:14,120 heaven is the process of turning that cup upside down and pouring 168 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:16,360 it out. It's actually something that we 169 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:21,440 do in our mind. We make a conscious decision to 170 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,560 do that. I understand the truth that I am 171 00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:28,040 poor in spirit. And then it goes to the second 172 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,000 Beatitude, which is blessed are they that mourn, for they'll be 173 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:32,760 comforted. You know what mourning is? 174 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:37,080 That's emotional. So it isn't just an intellectual 175 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:42,080 idea of being spiritually poor. It's causing an emotional 176 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:47,880 reaction, which is I I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I filled my heart 177 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:50,040 and my life up with all my own stuff. 178 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:55,440 So it's your whole self. Not just your intellectual self, 179 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,920 not just your emotional self, but all of you. 180 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,720 So both of these realities happen as I'm I'm pouring out 181 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,600 this cup and making it empty. A humble heart is an empty cup, 182 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:13,440 which is beautiful, because then God fills it with good things. 183 00:12:14,560 --> 00:12:17,400 Like when you go on and you start reading the rest of the 184 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,520 Beatitudes, there's some things there that you just can't have 185 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:26,120 on your own, like pure in heart, who's pure in heart? 186 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:31,120 Like none of us, right? That has to be imparted to you 187 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:34,360 by God because it's not something inherent to you or 188 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:37,760 inherent to me. So the things that God wants to 189 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,120 give us are only available if there is some sort of a 190 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:46,600 receptacle inside of us to put those wonderful things in. 191 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,920 And that's where David started. He started with a cup that was 192 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:57,240 poured out, lifted up to his Heavenly Father that then God 193 00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:02,120 could fill with good things. If we want to have a heart after 194 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:05,800 God's, it begins with humility, and humility begins with our 195 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:09,160 attitude. It's not the circumstances, it's 196 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:13,080 how we interpret them. How do you interpret your 197 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:16,440 circumstances? Are you looking at the blessings 198 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:22,040 instead of the bitterness? Are we finding opportunities in 199 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:26,120 our circumstances instead of using them to make excuses? 200 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,600 Are we turning the cup over to empty out the things of this 201 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:38,560 world so that we can hold up to God, an empty cup and let him 202 00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:39,880 fill it? And you know what? 203 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,400 Some of you right now, that was your sermon. 204 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,360 Like you can just completely disconnect from everything else 205 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:51,960 I'm going to say and just start internally processing that and 206 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:55,640 working on that in your heart. If I was sitting there and 207 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,560 somebody else was preaching that to me, that's probably what I'd 208 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:03,040 be doing right now. I'd probably be going OK, that 209 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:05,800 that that's a that's a plateful for for me today. 210 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:09,080 OK, God, you got you, got you got to help me here. 211 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:18,000 Have a humble heart. If we really do want that, and 212 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:23,120 if we really do have a desire to have a humble heart before God, 213 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:28,280 then God can shape that heart into ways that reflect him. 214 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:33,200 And that's what God did for David. 215 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:36,480 And you see this happening in David's life. 216 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,720 David had the heart of a stranger. 217 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:45,400 Well, what do I mean by that? Well, it means that he wasn't at 218 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:51,800 home in this world. Now, I told you last week that 219 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:56,880 there's 150 psalms in in the Book of Psalms, and 75 of them 220 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:00,520 David wrote. But the other 75 other people 221 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:04,160 wrote, but David was the one responsible for compiling them, 222 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:08,240 Right? And eleven of those psalms were 223 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:13,760 written by the sons of Korah. Some of my favorite psalms in 224 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:16,520 the Book of Psalms were actually not written by David. 225 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,760 They were written by the sons of Korah. 226 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:22,440 Now who are they? Who are the sons of Korah? 227 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,840 There's a whole sermon there that I have. 228 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:28,680 I don't have time to preach, but incredible sermon that actually 229 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:31,600 would connect the last week because they had a very 230 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:35,560 questionable lineage. There's a story about who Korah 231 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:40,360 was when Moses led the people out of out of Egypt toward the 232 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,200 Promised Land and what God did. Anyway. 233 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:47,240 They had a reputation, OK, that they had to live down of what 234 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,680 Korah had done and how God judged him. 235 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:52,000 So they had a questionable lineage. 236 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:54,800 Like I talked about last week, David had a questionable 237 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:57,440 lineage. But do you know what David did 238 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:03,400 for the sons of Korah? First of all, he made them choir 239 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:08,520 directors, songwriters, and singers. 240 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,480 He also made them doorkeepers in the temple. 241 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:17,200 I mean they have this these interesting roles and and so the 242 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:19,960 song that I'm going to use in a little bit is was written by the 243 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:24,000 sons of of Korra. And some people might think, 244 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:28,360 well, those are kind of not really manly, manly jobs, you 245 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:30,320 know, they're kind of different than that. 246 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:32,680 Well, you you've got those guys all wrong. 247 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:36,280 But before they were ever choir directors and songwriters and 248 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:40,000 singers, they were mighty warriors in David's inner 249 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,560 circle, the sons of Korah. So they had fought with David 250 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:56,040 and they wrote Psalm 84. And David loved these psalms. 251 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:58,560 Like David didn't have to actually write it. 252 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:02,320 Again, David has a humble heart, so he doesn't have to be the one 253 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:04,599 who writes the song to like the song. 254 00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:07,720 Have you ever noticed there's some people that are so prideful 255 00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:10,200 that the only things they like are the things they come up with 256 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:13,400 and they don't like whatever anybody else came up with? 257 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:14,880 Well, David wasn't that kind of guy. 258 00:17:15,079 --> 00:17:18,200 He actually loved what other people produce. 259 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:23,520 Let me ask you this question. Have we ever sung a song at the 260 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:25,319 crossing? And it just connects with your 261 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:29,120 heart and it's like it opens up all the doors and windows and 262 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:32,760 you, you feel the the fresh air, the spirit of God just blowing 263 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:35,000 through your heart. Because when you sing that song, 264 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,040 it just touches you. But you didn't write it. 265 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:41,520 Somebody else wrote it, right? But that doesn't mean that it 266 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:44,960 doesn't connect with you. And I really believe Psalm 84 267 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:50,400 was one of those psalms that really connected with David. 268 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:52,320 It was a reflection of how he felt. 269 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:54,760 Let's read it together. The 1st 12 verses. 270 00:17:55,080 --> 00:18:00,800 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty, my soul 271 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:04,240 yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord. 272 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:08,000 My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 273 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:11,840 Even the sparrows found a home and the swallow a nest for 274 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:15,920 herself where she may have her young, a place near your altar. 275 00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:20,720 You notice David's not necessarily at home in a palace 276 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,480 or as a king. He would rather be in the House 277 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:27,400 of God. Lord Almighty, my king and my 278 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:29,560 God. Blessed are those who dwell in 279 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:32,920 your house. That's the heart of a stranger, 280 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:37,720 that they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength 281 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:40,400 is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 282 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:45,080 Like I will put in the time and and I will make the journey so 283 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:46,480 that I can be in the House of the Lord. 284 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,360 I might that might not be my home, but I want it to be my 285 00:18:49,360 --> 00:18:52,160 home. As they pass through the valley 286 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:55,120 of Baca and make it a place of springs. 287 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:58,160 Autumn rains also cover it with pools. 288 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:01,960 This is him describing their way to Jerusalem, to the temple. 289 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:05,160 They go from strength to strength till each appears 290 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:07,400 before God and Zion. Hear my prayer. 291 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:12,280 Lord God Almighty, listen to me, God of Jacob, look on our 292 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,000 shield. O God, look with favor on your 293 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:19,400 anointed one. Better is one day in your courts 294 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:24,680 than 1000 elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper 295 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:28,040 in the House of my God than dwell in the tents of the 296 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:31,320 wicked. For the Lord God is a son and 297 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:33,880 shield. The Lord bestows favor and 298 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:36,480 honor. No good thing does he withhold 299 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:38,120 from those whose walk is blameless. 300 00:19:38,120 --> 00:19:43,520 Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you. 301 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:48,880 When David had the opportunity to sing that song that was 302 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:53,960 written by the sons of Korah, I'm sure that he connected with 303 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:58,360 it because it defined his longing to be in the presence of 304 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:00,720 God. But we all know reading about 305 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:04,400 David's life, he wandered. He wandered away from God. 306 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:11,800 He did it a lot. And Psalm 84 is is a reflection 307 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:15,920 of an intention. Have you ever, like sung a song 308 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:17,880 in it? And it's talking about how much 309 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:20,840 I care about God and how much I love God and all that. 310 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,480 And you kind of have a hard time singing it because. 311 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:26,400 You know that that's not actually true about you. 312 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,040 You know, it's like that's not, that's a little bit puffed up 313 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:32,320 for you. And maybe I don't have a right 314 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:34,960 to sing. It saw many force like that. 315 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,760 It's not talking about necessarily what is, but it's 316 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:41,320 talking about what I would want it to be. 317 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:43,480 Like my the intention of my heart. 318 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:47,600 This is the desire of my heart. This this is the kind of 319 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:49,600 relationship I want to have with God. 320 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:53,080 This is the kind of priority I would like to have with God. 321 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:58,720 Now David little different than the sons of Korah, because that 322 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:02,840 humble heart made him a very transparent man and so he writes 323 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:08,040 12 verses in Psalm 139. Now a lot of us, when we look at 324 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:12,360 Psalm 139, we concentrate in the middle section of it, where it 325 00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:15,720 talks about being fearfully and wonderfully made. 326 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:19,280 And it all of my days were written in your book before one 327 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,040 of them came to be. And you knit me together in my 328 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:23,640 mother's womb and all that, right. 329 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:26,880 But look at the 1st 12 verses that David writes. 330 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:32,240 It says, you have searched me, Lord, and you know me now. 331 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:34,800 This is real. This is transparent. 332 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:39,920 You know when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts 333 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,520 from afar. You discern my going out and my 334 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:48,040 lying down. You're familiar with all my ways 335 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:49,840 that that should make you a little uncomfortable. 336 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:54,520 Do you really, God, do you really know all my ways, not 337 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:59,120 just the ones I want you to know before a word is on my tongue? 338 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:02,240 You know it, Lord, You know it completely. 339 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:07,840 You hem me in behind, and before you lay your hand upon me. 340 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:12,160 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to 341 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:15,360 attain. Where can I go from your spirit? 342 00:22:15,360 --> 00:22:17,480 Where can I flee from your presence? 343 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:20,520 You see, there's there's that human side of us that 344 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:23,840 necessarily want to be in the presence of God. 345 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:26,760 But I can't escape you. God, you're there, right? 346 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:28,840 If I go up to the heavens, you're there. 347 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:31,760 If I make my beds and depths, you're there. 348 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:34,000 If I rise on the wings of the dawn. 349 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:38,200 If I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand 350 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:41,040 will guide me. Your right hand will hold me 351 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:43,920 fast. If I say, surely the darkness 352 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,120 will hide me and the light become night around me. 353 00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:50,600 Even the darkness will not be dark to you. 354 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:57,280 The night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to 355 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:00,840 you. That is a deeper and more 356 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:07,200 transparent reality. Because what David is admitting 357 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:11,240 is that the presence of God is where the truth is. 358 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:17,120 Not just general truth, but the truth about David, The truth 359 00:23:17,120 --> 00:23:19,920 about all of his inconsistencies, about all of 360 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:24,000 his hypocrisy. It's right there, and that's 361 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:30,560 uncomfortable for us, right? But when we know that it leads 362 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:33,640 you to the 23rd and the 24th verse, look what it says. 363 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:40,960 Search me God and know my heart. That's a scary thing to pray. 364 00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:47,280 Test me that's even scarier and know my anxious thoughts. 365 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:54,640 See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way 366 00:23:54,640 --> 00:24:00,560 everlasting. That is what comes out of a 367 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:05,600 humble heart. To have a heart that pursues God 368 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:10,480 is to be a person of constant reflection and repentance. 369 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:14,840 It's where the truth is revealed, and then it's 370 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:22,440 addressed with repentance. David had the heart of a 371 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,120 stranger, and it proceeded out of a humble heart. 372 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:28,280 He also had the heart of a warrior. 373 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:30,880 Now there's no doubt about that. There's plenty of information in 374 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,000 the Bible about that. Look at Samuel Second Samuel 375 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,880 814. He says it puts he put 376 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:40,040 Garrison's throughout Edom and all of the Edomites became 377 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:42,400 subject to David. But this sentence is the one I 378 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:45,880 want you to see. The Lord gave David victory 379 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:50,920 wherever he went. That's pretty powerful isn't it? 380 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:53,720 David had the heart of a warrior. 381 00:24:54,440 --> 00:25:00,360 As long as he was in the presence of God, God gave him 382 00:25:00,360 --> 00:25:03,840 the victory. Now, next week, Clayton is going 383 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:07,840 to be preaching about this epic battle, this epic battle between 384 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:11,720 David and Goliath. And I'm not going to spend time 385 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,960 on that and steal his Thunder, but I'm going to steal just one 386 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:18,640 verse that refers to the heart of David. 387 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:23,680 It's First Samuel 1747, so he's facing off with Goliath in the 388 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:25,480 with Goliath in the Valley of Elah. 389 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,640 And they're having this conversation, which is like this 390 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:32,200 hateful conversation. And this is how David ends it. 391 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:36,280 Before he goes on attack, all those gathered here will know 392 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:41,920 that is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the 393 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:48,440 battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our 394 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:51,720 hands. This is powerful because what 395 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:57,000 David is saying, his warrior's heart is saying this. 396 00:25:57,360 --> 00:26:00,840 Whatever victory I receive, it's not about me. 397 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:05,040 It I'm not going to be the one who wins it. 398 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:08,440 God is going to be. It's not even a physical battle. 399 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:14,080 It is not a battle of of weapons like swords or Spears. 400 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:16,880 The matter of fact, God is going to be the one who does the 401 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:18,920 fighting. God is going to be the one who 402 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:21,200 does the winning. And God is going to be the one 403 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:26,240 who receives the glory. Now, you can't do that unless 404 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:30,160 it's not about you. You can't do that with pride. 405 00:26:31,360 --> 00:26:34,200 You can't do that unless you have a prepared, repentant 406 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:40,240 heart, and all of David's victories depended on that. 407 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:48,240 And so do all of yours, all the battles you fight, all the 408 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:53,760 giants you face. Without it, even the things you 409 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,960 perceive as victories in your life really aren't. 410 00:26:58,360 --> 00:27:02,160 They're still defeats. Unless the battle belongs to the 411 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,080 Lord. David had the heart of a 412 00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:07,200 warrior, and it flowed out of a humble heart. 413 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:10,560 Finally, David had the heart of a father. 414 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:16,080 There's no doubt that when you read about David's life and the 415 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:21,440 tragedies of his life, you realize how much of A father he 416 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:23,880 wanted to be. He really did desire to have the 417 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:26,960 heart of a father. In a few more weeks, we're going 418 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:31,200 to be learning about David's biggest defeats, because the 419 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:34,440 biggest defeats actually happen in David's own heart. 420 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:39,120 Those are the places where he loses battles. 421 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,240 And we're going to also learn just how much it costs him. 422 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:50,360 You see, when David gives in to the lower story and the sinful 423 00:27:50,360 --> 00:27:55,280 desires that are in his heart, not only does he become a victim 424 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:59,000 of it, everybody around him becomes victims of it. 425 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:07,960 There's a while ago I I preached a a sermon on the erosive power 426 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:12,320 of sin and how sin all begins inside the mind. 427 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:18,240 And there are 7 ES related to that. 428 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:20,800 And it's the way all sin comes to us. 429 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:23,960 It's the entrance of a thought. Then we entertain the thought. 430 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:27,160 Then we examine the thought like, well, you know how good 431 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:29,400 this is going to feel versus what's going to cost me. 432 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,240 And then we get to this fourth E, which is to enjoy the 433 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:35,920 thought. It's where we actually begin 434 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:38,800 sinning, because sin begins in your mind and in your heart. 435 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:44,840 So to lust after a thing, to want to do a thing, to defy God 436 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:48,360 is where sin happens, right? And then some of us believe 437 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:52,920 Satan's lie, that is. Well, since I'm already guilty 438 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:55,200 of this sin, I may as well go ahead and do it. 439 00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:01,080 So after I enjoy the thought, I go to the to the 50, which is to 440 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:05,800 experience the thought. And we think that it's the same. 441 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:09,640 It isn't the same because when we're enjoying the thought, 442 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:13,040 there's only one victim of that sin, and that's you or me. 443 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:19,480 But when I experience the thought, then the rock hits the 444 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:24,240 water and the ripples go out and everybody else around me gets 445 00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:28,080 affected by it, right? Because that's what Satan does. 446 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,000 He doesn't want to just destroy you, He wants to destroy 447 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:36,720 everybody you love and care for. Nobody knows that better than 448 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:42,080 David because there's a big shift between it being in my 449 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:49,240 mind and actually acting it out and the place where it hit David 450 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:50,760 the hardest was with his children. 451 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:57,160 David had the heart of a father, but he failed as a father. 452 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:02,360 He was defeated as a father. And the fact is, it was 453 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:04,320 heartbreaking and it was avoidable. 454 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:08,480 And your sin is heartbreaking and avoidable. 455 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:11,000 My sin is heartbreaking and avoidable. 456 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:16,120 And the truth is even though we want to always paint ourselves 457 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:19,000 as the victim, we are also the perpetrator. 458 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:21,640 We're both. We play both roles all the time, 459 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:26,240 both victim and perpetrator. And there's only one thing we 460 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:30,000 can do. Same thing David did in Psalm 461 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:33,320 51. John wrote about it the apostle 462 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:37,240 first, John 19. It says if we confess our sins, 463 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:43,960 he God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and 464 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:48,480 purify us from all unrighteousness. 465 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:51,440 We see David doing that in Psalm 51. 466 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:56,040 He wrote it down how humbling it would have been to admit that in 467 00:30:56,040 --> 00:31:00,640 a song, and that's what he did. Now understand that that doesn't 468 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:05,160 mean there aren't going to be consequences and restoration. 469 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:08,040 Some people really have a really skewed view of what restoration 470 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:09,920 means. Restoration does not mean 471 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:11,840 everything goes back to the way it was. 472 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:15,760 Restoration means that your relationship with God is in the 473 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:20,680 process of of being restored. But you can still be 474 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:24,240 disqualified from a lot of things because of the 475 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:29,360 consequences of your sin or my sin, and that definitely 476 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:33,320 happened to David. It does mean that your 477 00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:37,960 relationship is moving back into a right place with your Heavenly 478 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:44,240 Father, and David knew that. He wrote about it in Psalm 23. 479 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:46,120 Look at the second-half of verse three. 480 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:51,720 It says He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. 481 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:56,120 Some of you may have memorized it as that. 482 00:31:56,240 --> 00:32:00,760 He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's 483 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:03,880 sake. And one thing we need to learn 484 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:08,760 from David is that the path of righteousness never, ever, ever, 485 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:13,720 ever goes through fields of sin. I've talked to people before 486 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:17,720 who've said, well, you know, we did this, but I can see God's 487 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:19,360 hand in it. No, you didn't. 488 00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:22,880 That's Satan's lie. God would never lead you. 489 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:26,000 He would never lead you through a field of sin. 490 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:29,200 There was always a better way. Like you hear Clayton say over 491 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,440 and over. God's way is the best way. 492 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:37,880 You see, David had the heart of a father, but he failed in many 493 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:42,800 ways as a father. Good warrior really wanted to be 494 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:49,880 in the presence of God, had the humble heart, but still needed 495 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:52,680 grace and mercy, didn't he? Just like we all do. 496 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,720 So all three of these characteristics that we see in 497 00:32:57,720 --> 00:32:59,840 David's heart reflect the heart of God. 498 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:05,480 God is a stranger. You know that he's a stranger. 499 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:09,960 When God describes himself, or prophets describe God, they use 500 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:12,200 a word to describe him over and over again. 501 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:16,840 And that word is holy, right? Holy. 502 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:22,360 What does that mean? It means other than like the the 503 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:25,080 actual definition of that word means to be separate. 504 00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:29,600 Other than that, God is a holy God. 505 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:32,920 Basically. It's a recognition that this is 506 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:34,840 something that God is that I'm not. 507 00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:38,640 Any holiness that I'm going to ever have in my life isn't going 508 00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:40,800 to be mine. Any holiness that's going to 509 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,840 happen in my life, God's going to have to impart that to me. 510 00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:46,280 It's going to have to be the result of an empty cup that he 511 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:50,120 fills with holiness. I need to be holy. 512 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:55,080 I need to be separated from worldliness and pridefulness and 513 00:33:55,080 --> 00:33:57,960 all that other stuff. But you see God, that he's truly 514 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:00,880 that he is a stranger, He is holy. 515 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:06,400 There is a distance between US and God, because even though we 516 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:10,760 were made in this image, sin has messed that up. 517 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:14,320 But God, and only God through Jesus Christ can close the 518 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:17,679 distance. And someday he's going to finish 519 00:34:17,679 --> 00:34:22,000 that work and this world won't be your home anymore. 520 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:31,120 God is also a warrior. He has never gone into a battle 521 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:36,080 that he hasn't won. In Romans 8 it says we are more 522 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:39,960 than conquerors. Through him that loved us right. 523 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:47,000 He never loses a battle, but the greatest battle ever fought was 524 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:56,239 the one his son fought right here in the dirt on a cross with 525 00:34:56,239 --> 00:35:02,240 his blood, when he defeated once and for all the power of sin and 526 00:35:02,240 --> 00:35:09,240 death and proved it when after he died he rose from the dead. 527 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:15,400 God is also a father. And unlike David and his 528 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:21,120 failures, he's a good father, a great father. 529 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:25,920 And good is a Good is a great word and great is a great word. 530 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:31,080 But it's not the best word, The best word to put in front of 531 00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:33,080 Father is this one. Ready. 532 00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:37,640 Our Father. Our Father. 533 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:43,800 And unlike David, our Father will never leave us. 534 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:49,440 He'll never forsake us. He'll never abandoned us, be 535 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:53,800 lured away from us, deny us or fail us. 536 00:35:55,040 --> 00:36:03,080 See, I don't want to be a man after David's heart, but like 537 00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:08,200 David, I long to be a man after gods. 538 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:13,360 And I hope that's what you want to be as we move to a time of 539 00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:23,480 decision. I have no idea what you're 540 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:26,760 dealing with right now. I have no idea what you walked 541 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:30,280 in to this room with. If you're online, I have no idea 542 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:32,800 what you're carrying with you right now. 543 00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:37,800 And you really have no idea what I may be carrying right now 544 00:36:38,760 --> 00:36:45,200 because although we might put a nice face on it, you know, clean 545 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:51,600 up, smile, and maybe we're actually having a good day or a 546 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:55,680 good season in life, that can change. 547 00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:59,720 The circumstances can change at any given moment, right. 548 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:05,360 So some of you I know, might be in a, in a time of real 549 00:37:05,360 --> 00:37:12,120 struggle, hurt, and maybe you feel isolated and alone, like 550 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:14,680 other people don't understand you. 551 00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:18,480 They don't know what's going on, and maybe you're just reluctant 552 00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:23,560 to dump the truck in their front yard and tell them the truth 553 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:28,240 about what's going on. It's kind of human nature, isn't 554 00:37:28,240 --> 00:37:30,400 it? I don't want to burden anybody 555 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:34,800 else, which is also a prideful heart, by the way. 556 00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:50,040 But if you listen to the scriptures from Psalm 139, God 557 00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:54,680 already knows that God is fully aware. 558 00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:59,600 Maybe you've never even spoken it before. 559 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:03,720 A word is on my lips. You know it, right? 560 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,000 Even though you've been running from God. 561 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:12,160 The thing is, you can't outrun God. 562 00:38:12,160 --> 00:38:17,360 He's faster than you. And the fact is, if you would 563 00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:23,600 just stop running for a moment and turn around, he's not in the 564 00:38:23,600 --> 00:38:27,200 distance. He's right there. 565 00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:32,680 And the Bible teaches us that we're two or three are gathered. 566 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:35,680 He's right here, and there's more than two or three of us 567 00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:42,200 here, so he's here. So you've done good to this 568 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:46,840 point. There is a proximity right now 569 00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:51,480 between you and Almighty God, between you and Jesus Christ. 570 00:38:55,480 --> 00:39:05,840 But if you want him to do a work in your heart today, where does 571 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:10,040 it begin? Not in a stranger's heart or a 572 00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:12,120 warrior's heart, or even a father's heart. 573 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:20,760 Begins with a humble heart, a heart that admits that I'm not 574 00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:26,560 strong enough on my own, that I can't do it by myself, that I'm 575 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:31,520 just a child. And that's why these steps are 576 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:36,360 here. Because getting down on your 577 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:41,120 knees is at least some sort of visual representation of 578 00:39:41,440 --> 00:39:45,880 humility, of understanding that God is greater than I am and and 579 00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:48,040 he can do things I could never do. 580 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:54,280 And when we bring the hurts or desires or anything that's 581 00:39:54,280 --> 00:39:57,040 filling our heart right now, if we if we realize that I've 582 00:39:57,040 --> 00:39:59,280 already filled my cup with all my own stuff and I need to pour 583 00:39:59,280 --> 00:40:03,000 it out, do it in a humble fashion. 584 00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:07,800 And that can happen today. I have no idea what you're going 585 00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:11,960 through, but God does. So why don't you deliver an 586 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:15,680 honest prayer to him? Maybe it's the Psalm 84 prayer. 587 00:40:15,880 --> 00:40:18,800 Maybe you don't think that you can do it, but it really is your 588 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:21,320 best intentions, what you'd like to be able to do. 589 00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:25,720 Maybe it's a more transparent prayer, like Psalm 139. 590 00:40:25,720 --> 00:40:28,480 I don't know. But why don't you let him have 591 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:31,520 his way? Some of you have never come into 592 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:34,720 an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 593 00:40:34,920 --> 00:40:39,160 And you might look at people that are getting down in that 594 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:42,680 water, the water of baptism, and you might think that's 595 00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:44,400 embarrassing and that's humbling. 596 00:40:46,760 --> 00:40:51,160 But do you ever see that on their faces when they come out 597 00:40:51,160 --> 00:40:52,880 of the water? Do you ever see people that, 598 00:40:52,880 --> 00:40:54,760 like, I'm so embarrassed that I did this? 599 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:57,960 I am I I feel so humiliated that I did this? 600 00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:06,920 No, because it is a reflection of a desire to have a humble 601 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:11,040 heart before God. I can't take my sins away, but 602 00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:14,360 Jesus, you can. I can't wash them away. 603 00:41:16,520 --> 00:41:23,040 But you shed your blood and my sins are washed away in that. 604 00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:28,320 I have no idea. I have no idea what God is doing 605 00:41:28,320 --> 00:41:32,040 in your heart right now, but I will just give you 2 words 606 00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:38,800 before we pray. Let him would you stand with me, 607 00:41:39,720 --> 00:41:45,560 Heavenly Father, in Jesus name. I pray that we would let you. 608 00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:51,640 We would let you do whatever it is you want to do right now. 609 00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:56,960 I pray, Father, that you would help us to turn down the volume 610 00:41:56,960 --> 00:42:02,800 knob of the noise of this world so that we can hear the still 611 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:09,880 small voice of our Father. In Jesus name, Amen.