1
00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:08,119
Good morning. 
It's good to see you guys today.

2
00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:15,080
Give me a chance to find your 
seats as you do so. 

3
00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:17,480
My name is Kyle. 
I serve as the lead pastor here.

4
00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:19,000
If you're visiting today, thank 
you. 

5
00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:21,840
We're glad that you're here to 
worship with us today. 

6
00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:26,560
If you have your Bible, you can 
open to Psalm 11, Psalm 11. 

7
00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,520
If you've been here for the last
several weeks, you know that 

8
00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:33,840
Psalm 11 is different than First
Corinthians. 

9
00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:38,400
Right there. 
There's an old charge, an old 

10
00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:45,400
saying, if you will, that says a
pastor should preach with a 

11
00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:48,640
Bible in one hand and a 
newspaper in the other. 

12
00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:56,520
And today demands that with this
week demands that to be clear, 

13
00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,480
the goal of the preacher is not 
to chase headlines. 

14
00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:06,880
It's not to chase news stories 
and to use those merely for, you

15
00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:12,720
know, sermon contents. 
Instead, a preacher is called by

16
00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:16,720
God to speak prophetically from 
God's Word regarding the 

17
00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:21,360
headlines regarding the issues 
of the day, bringing the Word to

18
00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,960
bear honest people in their 
times of distress. 

19
00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:34,320
And this week our nation has 
groaned under fresh horrors. 

20
00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:40,280
Charlie Kirk, a 31 year old 
Christian husband and father, 

21
00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:45,640
was assassinated for his faith 
and courage by young man who 

22
00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,440
Satan and the doctrine of the 
left had deceived. 

23
00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,800
The Book of Martyrs continues to
be written, does it not? 

24
00:01:55,960 --> 00:02:00,000
We've mourned the fatal stabbing
of 23 year old Irinazuritska 

25
00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:04,920
from Ukraine. 
A refugee on the Charlotte Light

26
00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:09,000
Rail this week happened a month 
ago, but it was revealed this 

27
00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:14,280
week the details of that she was
brutally executed for being 

28
00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:19,080
white by a black man with 14 
prior arrests for various 

29
00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:23,680
offenses including assault and 
robbery and a justice system 

30
00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:28,600
failed. 
Miss Ruska near Denver on the 

31
00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,720
same day that Charlie Kirk was 
assassinated, a 16 year old 

32
00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:35,920
opened fire at Evergreen High 
School, critically wounding 2 

33
00:02:35,920 --> 00:02:39,560
classmates before turning the 
gun on himself. 

34
00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,480
Just a few weeks ago there was a
mass shooting that occurred and 

35
00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:49,080
are at Annunciation Catholic 
School in Minneapolis where a 

36
00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,840
transgender man, Robert Westman,
who identified himself as Robin 

37
00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:57,800
Westman, murdered two children 
and injured 21 others before 

38
00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,280
taking his own life. 
If you've seen his journal 

39
00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:07,480
entries, they reveal a dark 
demon, oppressed man and a 

40
00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:09,440
fascination with school 
shooters. 

41
00:03:10,920 --> 00:03:14,960
When we're finally forced to see
the rotten fruits of the 

42
00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:19,600
absolutely wicked and satanic 
doctrine and influence on the 

43
00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,320
left that's running rampant in 
our streets, we're left 

44
00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:28,840
wondering what is going on? 
All right, how can this happen 

45
00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:34,040
on American soil? 
And so today we turn to the 

46
00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:38,320
Scriptures, for where else can 
we go but to the one who holds 

47
00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:43,920
the words of eternal life? 
As Peter told his Lord, Psalm 11

48
00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:47,240
instructs our hearts and minds 
and times like these. 

49
00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:52,120
It feels like David's question 
in Psalm 11, which we'll see in 

50
00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,240
a moment. 
But he says this, or he's 

51
00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,040
quoting some advisors. 
If the foundations are 

52
00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,720
destroyed, what can the 
righteous do? 

53
00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,920
It's kind of a taunt. 
It's also a temptation to 

54
00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:07,240
apathy. 
If the foundations are being 

55
00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,560
destroyed, what can the 
righteous do? 

56
00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:15,960
Historically, many understand 
Psalm 11 against the backdrop of

57
00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:20,959
David under mortal threats. 
You have Saul's murderous 

58
00:04:20,959 --> 00:04:23,720
jealousy. 
You have the priest of Nob 

59
00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:26,880
slain. 
You have Absalom's rebellion and

60
00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:31,400
his desire to kill his father. 
These are days when human life 

61
00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:36,640
felt cheap, wicked men struck 
without cause, and the fabric of

62
00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:42,120
society was quickly unraveling. 
But the Psalm opens not with 

63
00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:47,640
panic, brothers and sisters. 
It opens with a pledged refuge 

64
00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:52,800
in Yahweh, our Lord, and it ends
with the upright beholding His 

65
00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,440
face. 
Now that journey that we see in 

66
00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:02,720
Psalm 11, from fear to faith, 
from threat to throne, is going 

67
00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:04,680
to guide our hearts and minds 
today. 

68
00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:06,960
That's my hope, That's my 
prayer. 

69
00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,000
And so if you would, would you 
please stand as we read Psalm 

70
00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:25,360
Chapter 11? 
To the choirmaster of David and 

71
00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:30,440
the Lord I take refuge. 
How can you say to my soul, Flee

72
00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:34,360
like a bird to your mountain? 
For behold the wicked bend the 

73
00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,120
bow. 
They have fitted their arrow to 

74
00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:41,320
the string to shoot in the dark 
at the upright in hearts. 

75
00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,320
If the foundations are 
destroyed, what can the 

76
00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:49,040
righteous do? 
The Lord is in His holy temple. 

77
00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:54,280
The Lord's throne is in heaven. 
His eyes see, His eyelids test 

78
00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:57,280
the children of man. 
The Lord tests the righteous, 

79
00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:02,400
but his soul hates the wicked. 
And the one who loves violence, 

80
00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,080
let him rain coals on the 
wicked. 

81
00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:10,560
Fire and sulfur and a scorching 
wind shall be the portion of 

82
00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,720
their cup. 
For the Lord is righteous. 

83
00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:18,960
He loves righteous deeds. 
The upright shall behold his 

84
00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:21,720
face. 
This is the word of the Lord. 

85
00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:24,320
Thanks be to God. 
Let's pray. 

86
00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:31,560
Heavenly Father, we are grateful
for your word and at all times, 

87
00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:37,320
but it's especially comforting 
to come to it in times of trial 

88
00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:41,480
and suffering and distress. 
And our hearts are questioning 

89
00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:47,640
when doubts and fears arise. 
Or it's comforting to see the 

90
00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:51,880
promises in your word that you 
have given us the action the the

91
00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,960
heart of God that is laid out 
for us. 

92
00:06:56,840 --> 00:06:58,560
Or it's meant to comfort your 
people. 

93
00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:02,200
This Psalm, Psalm 11, is meant 
to be sung in the congregation 

94
00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:06,440
as a comfort in times of great 
wickedness. 

95
00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:12,280
And so, Lord, we turn our 
attention to it today, asking 

96
00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:17,480
you to comfort us, asking you to
stiffen our spines with courage 

97
00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:24,880
and faith, would help us to be 
bold in our belief even as fear 

98
00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,080
assails. 
Father, we pray for the courage 

99
00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:33,800
of the uprights. 
We pray for the boldness of the 

100
00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:38,040
righteous, that we would be 
mighty in strength of heart and 

101
00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:45,120
in strength of mind. 
Lord, we ask that you would 

102
00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:48,280
minister to us, your people 
today, that you would give us 

103
00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:52,120
guidance in light of all the 
things that are transpiring 

104
00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:57,240
around us as the foundations are
being destroyed. 

105
00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:02,880
Lord, we turn to you now. 
In Christ name we pray. 

106
00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:04,200
Amen. 
Amen. 

107
00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:12,200
You may be seated. 
If you're taking notes, the main

108
00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:15,920
point of the text that I want us
to see today's is this. 

109
00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:23,160
When evil shakes, when evil 
shakes the foundations, the 

110
00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:27,240
righteous answer not with 
flight, but with faith. 

111
00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:31,320
When evil shakes the 
foundations, the righteous, 

112
00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:35,200
righteous answer not with 
flights, but with faith. 

113
00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:40,200
As we walk through Psalm 11, 
that's kind of a road map for 

114
00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:41,400
us. 
Looks like this. 

115
00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:44,640
We're going to 1st see refuge 
and resolve. 

116
00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:51,080
Why in Yahweh I take refuge? 
Is this the controlling 

117
00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:55,200
confession? 
Secondly, we'll see rejecting 

118
00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,920
fear and reading the times. 
Who's speaking? 

119
00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:04,680
What are the wicked doing and 
what destroyed foundations are 

120
00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:06,240
there? 
What do these things mean for 

121
00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,640
us? 
3rd, we'll see the king is on 

122
00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:12,760
his throne. 
We'll declare from the Psalm 

123
00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:17,000
God's holy rule, his searching 
gaze, his testing of the wicked 

124
00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,560
and the righteous, and his just 
wrath. 

125
00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:24,680
And then finally, fourthly, 
we'll see the reward of the 

126
00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:31,160
upright beholding his face. 
And So what are our marching 

127
00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:36,360
orders now? 
So first refuge and resolve 

128
00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:43,560
verse one a part A there in the 
Lord I take refuge and Yahweh I 

129
00:09:43,560 --> 00:09:48,720
take refuge. 
Refuge is covenant vocabulary. 

130
00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:53,880
It's it's the idea of a strong 
tower that you run into, but 

131
00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:55,960
it's knowing that the strong 
tower never moves. 

132
00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:59,240
He's always faithful, he's 
always there, he's always ready 

133
00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,560
to receive. 
He's always available. 

134
00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:05,280
So you run the Yahweh for his 
protective care. 

135
00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:10,000
And you might think running 
describes escapism, that it that

136
00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,520
it means we flee from evil. 
But it doesn't. 

137
00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:16,840
It's covenant language. 
Running to Yahweh is act of 

138
00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:19,840
allegiance. 
It's not running away from the 

139
00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:21,760
problem, it's running to the 
solution. 

140
00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:25,520
It's running to the one who 
holds the answers for all 

141
00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:26,960
things. 
It's running to the one who 

142
00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,640
judges rightly, the wicked and 
the righteous. 

143
00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:35,440
David's theology is governing 
his response at the very opening

144
00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:38,720
of the Psalm. 
He knows where his heart must 

145
00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:40,400
turn. 
He knows to whom he must give 

146
00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:46,320
himself to in Yahweh. 
I take refuge, all right. 

147
00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:50,160
This theology governs his 
response before his 

148
00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,920
circumstances can govern his 
emotions. 

149
00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:56,640
He's not letting the 
circumstances overwhelm the 

150
00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:01,480
emotions and the emotions 
leading to sinful action like 

151
00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:08,280
flights or vengeance, right? 
He's trusting Yahweh. 

152
00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:12,960
Maybe you're here today and you 
say, well, who's Yahweh? 

153
00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:20,880
Who's the Lord? 
And Exodus, God reveals himself 

154
00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:25,480
to Moses in a burning Bush, and 
he says, I am who I am. 

155
00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:29,440
It's becomes a covenant name for
God, the Yahweh. 

156
00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,680
This is and what we see here 
when we think about the Lord. 

157
00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:37,680
When God says I am who I am, 
he's declaring something about 

158
00:11:37,680 --> 00:11:39,760
himself that we must understand 
today. 

159
00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:45,600
There's a doctrine for it. 
It's called aseity ASEITY. 

160
00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:51,800
Aseity. 
Aseity tells us it's a 

161
00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:56,440
summarization of a doctrine that
of the things that God reveals 

162
00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:00,120
about himself, it tells us that 
God is self existence. 

163
00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:04,600
God is not reliant upon 
something or someone else to 

164
00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,800
bring him into being. 
God is not relying upon 

165
00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:10,440
something or someone else to 
fulfill him. 

166
00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:14,680
God is self existent. 
He's self-sufficient. 

167
00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:20,840
He's immutable. 
God exists by and for himself 

168
00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:25,600
without needing anyone else for 
his existence or needing 

169
00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:30,040
anything else for his existence.
God is uncaused. 

170
00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:32,360
You have to think about that for
a moment. 

171
00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:37,520
That's a bit of a brain breaker.
God is UN cost and 

172
00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:40,960
self-sufficient, which 
distinguishes him from all 

173
00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:46,440
created beings. 
God causes everything else. 

174
00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:51,440
Let there be lights, Let there 
be darkness, Let there be lights

175
00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:53,800
in the skies, the sun, the moon,
the stars. 

176
00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,440
Let there be water on the earth.
Let there be land and trees and 

177
00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,200
beast on the land. 
Let there be man. 

178
00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,120
Everything caused by the spoken 
word of God, and yet God was 

179
00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:10,120
caused by nothing. 
He is, He is. 

180
00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:16,600
I am who I am, whether humans 
want to acknowledge it or not. 

181
00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:21,080
We are dependent on God. 
Totally dependent on God. 

182
00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:25,520
We don't put breath and our 
lungs each day all right. 

183
00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:28,120
We're totally dependent upon the
Lord. 

184
00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:34,160
And so it doesn't make it any 
less accurate if humans will 

185
00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:39,120
deny what is true, if humans 
will seek to suppress the truth 

186
00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:43,920
of God's power that we see 
obviously displayed in creation.

187
00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:50,120
All right, The truth about the 
essayety of God anchors our 

188
00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,040
refuge. 
We're running to the one who is.

189
00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:57,120
We're running to the one who 
always was and always will be. 

190
00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:59,840
We're running to the one who 
will never leave us, never 

191
00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:03,000
forsake us. 
We're running to the one who has

192
00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:08,560
the answers right, who has the 
power to move and to make things

193
00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:11,000
happen. 
We're running to him. 

194
00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:20,200
We must understand that refuge 
does not equal passivity, 

195
00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:24,640
brothers and sisters. 
It does not equal an abdication 

196
00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:29,040
of responsibility. 
We are held responsible by God 

197
00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,400
for the things that God has 
declared about himself. 

198
00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,920
We're held responsible by God 
for the life that He's given to 

199
00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:38,120
us. 
We're held responsible by God 

200
00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:41,560
for the places and the people 
He's put us in and put us 

201
00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:45,680
before. 
These are gifts from God. 

202
00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:51,840
And so we cannot be passive. 
This means we have a relational 

203
00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:57,920
trust. 
And for Old Testament Israel, 

204
00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:02,880
this refuge is devotional 
vocabulary. 

205
00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:07,800
It's a devotion to God that he 
is our refuge. 

206
00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:11,840
It's their identity, right? 
And for us who are in Christ, 

207
00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:16,880
Christ is our identity. 
We're no longer those things, 

208
00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:19,960
those sinful actions, those past
behaviors. 

209
00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:26,440
We are a new creation in Christ,
created by God in Christ for 

210
00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,640
good works, right? 
We have a new identity in the 

211
00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:33,360
Lord and Yahweh. 
I take refuge, then, is covenant

212
00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:38,000
language, and it should be the 
language of our hearts and 

213
00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,280
minds, the language of our lips 
in times of distress. 

214
00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:50,680
You see, the Lord had acted on 
behalf of Israel for many, many 

215
00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:54,280
years prior to David's coming on
the scene. 

216
00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:59,040
He chose them because they were 
nothing. 

217
00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:02,600
He chose them because they were 
small. 

218
00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:06,480
He chose them because they 
didn't look like they could 

219
00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:12,480
achieve anything. 
And so when they do, it must be 

220
00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,680
Yahweh's work. 
And He delivered them from the 

221
00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:19,440
captivity of Egypt. 
He brought them into the 

222
00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:22,720
Promised Land. 
He rules their lives. 

223
00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:28,560
He rules them through prophets 
and priests and now kings. 

224
00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:34,200
He's been faithful to them. 
And so they know. 

225
00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:40,640
David knows to whom and to where
he must run for refuge. 

226
00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:45,200
Friends, listen to me. 
You will take refuge in 

227
00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:49,280
something You. 
You will take refuge in 

228
00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:52,400
something you're not. 
You're not not taking refuge, 

229
00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:57,800
right? 
It it might be an ideology. 

230
00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:03,160
You maybe look into the wisdom 
of the world and finding refuge 

231
00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,760
in that, whatever it says about 
you and your desires and your 

232
00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:09,880
heart and what you want, but you
will take refuge in it. 

233
00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:14,200
It'll become your truth. 
It'll become what you live your 

234
00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,640
life on. 
You'll put your faith in it. 

235
00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:26,920
You may take refuge in screens, 
right, social media and movies 

236
00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:31,680
and TV, and you may find a 
refuge in the comfort of the 

237
00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:36,320
world through those things. 
You may find refuge in a tribe 

238
00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:39,360
right of people who think and 
act like you do. 

239
00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:45,200
You may find refuge in a bottle.
You may find refuge in a 

240
00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:52,640
political savior, but only 
Christ is a true refuge. 

241
00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:58,600
Only Christ is true, and all the
other refuges that exist are 

242
00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:02,520
false. 
Believe you wanting to let you 

243
00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:07,760
down. 
They're set up as mirages by the

244
00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:11,000
enemy to steal and kill and 
destroy your life. 

245
00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:18,120
And he's doing a really good job
at it in our world today. 

246
00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:22,920
But he's been doing that same 
thing since the beginning. 

247
00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:29,080
Therefore, I urge you to begin 
where David begins prayerful 

248
00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:33,400
allegiance to independence upon 
the enthroned Lord. 

249
00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:38,920
First Timothy 2 one through 2. 
Paul writes there. 

250
00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:42,200
He says, first of all, then, I 
urge that supplications and 

251
00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:46,000
prayers and intercessions and 
thanksgivings be made for all 

252
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:51,680
people, for kings and all who 
are in high positions, that we 

253
00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:55,080
may lead a peaceful and quiet 
life, godly and dignified in 

254
00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:58,960
every way. 
Ephesians 610 through 12. 

255
00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,200
Finally, be strong in the Lord, 
in the strength of His might. 

256
00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:05,120
You hear the themes of refuge in
these verses. 

257
00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,880
Put on the whole armour of God, 
that you may be able to stand 

258
00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:10,480
against the schemes of the 
devil. 

259
00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:13,920
For we do not wrestle against 
flesh and blood, but against the

260
00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:18,160
rulers, against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers, over 

261
00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:22,240
this present darkness, against 
the spiritual forces of evil in 

262
00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:29,160
the heavenly places. 
And so as we take refuge in 

263
00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:34,120
Yahweh, in the Lord, we can 
reject fear and read the times, 

264
00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:37,920
which is .2 rejecting fear and 
reading the times. 

265
00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,040
Look at the second part of verse
one through verse 3 here. 

266
00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:48,320
How can you say to my soul, flee
like a bird to your mountain? 

267
00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:51,560
For behold the wicked bend the 
bow. 

268
00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:55,200
They have fitted their arrows to
the string to shoot in the dark 

269
00:19:55,200 --> 00:20:00,000
at the upright in hearts. 
If the foundations are 

270
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,000
destroyed, what can the 
righteous do? 

271
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:06,960
You come to a quote in the 
scriptures. 

272
00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:11,080
One of your first questions, as 
far as context go, should be who

273
00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:15,560
is speaking. 
David quotes voices that are 

274
00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:18,320
urging him to flee like a bird 
to your mountain. 

275
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:25,960
Now the line may be fearful. 
Counsel from well meaning 

276
00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:28,720
friends. 
You can think. 

277
00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:30,840
If you're familiar with the 
story of Job, you can thank the 

278
00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:39,200
the council of Job's friends. 
It may also be a taunt from the 

279
00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:46,240
enemies who surround him. 
Either way, it's the voice of 

280
00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:51,920
flight and not faith. 
Flee to the mountain like a 

281
00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:57,760
bird. 
The text allows us to read it 

282
00:20:57,760 --> 00:20:58,680
either way. 
What? 

283
00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:02,760
What's clear is David's refusal 
to be discipled by fear. 

284
00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:09,560
Far too long in America, our 
Christian faith has been 

285
00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:15,240
discipled by fear, Not by 
Yahweh, not by refuge. 

286
00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:19,200
We didn't want to be called 
sexist. 

287
00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:20,960
We don't want to be called 
racist. 

288
00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:23,400
We don't want to be called 
bigots or worse. 

289
00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:28,080
And so we set oddly by while the
foundations of our nation were 

290
00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:34,480
being destroyed. 
Worse than that, our evangelical

291
00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:37,920
leaders, the ones who ought to 
know better, the ones who have 

292
00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:42,960
the Word of God in one hand, or 
should those who are leading our

293
00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,880
largest organizations, have been
infiltrated with demonic 

294
00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:52,200
doctrines like DEI, diversity, 
equity and inclusion, critical 

295
00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,240
race theory, and the LGBTQ 
movements. 

296
00:21:56,320 --> 00:22:00,760
They've blurred the lines 
between social justice and sound

297
00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:04,200
doctrine. 
And I don't mean a biblical 

298
00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:07,720
social justice. 
They've denied the biblical 

299
00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,360
teaching on gender and gender 
roles. 

300
00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:12,600
They've propagated false 
doctrines. 

301
00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:16,120
They fell prey to worldly 
ideologies and all of it has 

302
00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:20,160
been so obvious that it's an 
attempt to maintain power and 

303
00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:25,840
control. 
It's an it's an approval of man 

304
00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:30,600
rather than the approval of God.
For example, many of these 

305
00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:36,360
leaders shut down their churches
during COVID and yet gathered 

306
00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:40,720
marched in Black Lives Matter 
rallies around the nation. 

307
00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:45,920
Little side note here. 
If you want to know more about 

308
00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:49,160
our evangelical foundations and 
how they're being destroyed, 

309
00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:51,920
there's two book recommendations
I have for you. 

310
00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:56,680
One of them is called 5 lies of 
our anti Christian age written 

311
00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:01,200
by Rosaria Butterfield. 5 lies 
of our anti Christian age. 

312
00:23:03,360 --> 00:23:06,520
The other is shepherds for Sale 
by Megan Basham. 

313
00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,760
Shepherds for sale. 
A great investigative work of 

314
00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:16,600
the things that I'm saying 
today, how these institutions 

315
00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:20,640
have been infiltrated, like 
following the dollars and the 

316
00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:23,520
paper trail, showing receipts 
for these things. 

317
00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:29,480
This isn't some scare tactic 
from your preacher. 

318
00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:33,520
This is showing what's truly 
taking place in our nation and 

319
00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:36,120
hoping that it'll wake us up to 
some extent. 

320
00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:41,600
We've reached a place in society
where we can no longer say, I 

321
00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:46,760
just want to be left alone. 
I just want to live a quiet 

322
00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:49,360
life. 
I don't want to worry about what

323
00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:53,840
other people are doing. 
We cannot do that anymore. 

324
00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:56,680
We must start studying, We must 
Start learning. 

325
00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:58,640
We must start praying. 
We must start acting. 

326
00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:02,400
Because your enemy, the devil, 
is prowling around like a lion, 

327
00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:08,640
seeking whom he may devour. 
And the truth is, as we've seen 

328
00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:14,400
just this week, it could be your
child who gets devoured. 

329
00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:21,680
It could be your child who does 
some heinous act because you 

330
00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:24,920
refuse to raise them in the 
discipline and instruction of 

331
00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:29,280
the Lord. 
It could be your spouse who 

332
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:34,440
falls prey to worldly ideologies
because you refuse to be a 

333
00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:36,600
gatekeeper brothers in your 
home. 

334
00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:43,400
It could be your neighbor, one 
who you refuse to share the 

335
00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:47,440
gospel with, or one who is 
wronged by someone else who is 

336
00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:51,080
carrying out these evil deeds 
because you refuse to care for 

337
00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:57,560
them. 
It could be your friend, and it 

338
00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:03,680
could even be you. 
But this is what the wicked do, 

339
00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:06,360
and that's where the Psalm goes 
next. 

340
00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:10,400
What the wicked do, it says they
bend their bow, they string the 

341
00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:13,480
arrow, they shoot in the dark at
the upright and heart. 

342
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:18,360
All of this is premeditated. 
It's secretive, as far as they 

343
00:25:18,360 --> 00:25:24,120
know. 
And it's malice, It's hatred 

344
00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:27,640
targeting righteousness and the 
righteous. 

345
00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:32,520
You cannot tell me that Charlie 
Kirk was killed simply for 

346
00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:35,520
having differing views. 
He was killed because he had 

347
00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:41,560
biblical belief, sound doctrine.
He had biblical convictions, and

348
00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:46,360
he stood for those things. 
That's why he was slain this 

349
00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:52,240
week. 
What we see here is preparation.

350
00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,160
I used to ask the question and 
then it dawned on me. 

351
00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,520
But I asked the question often 
just kind of internally, like, 

352
00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:03,600
how is it that it seems like all
of these world governments and 

353
00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,360
all these different things 
conspire together? 

354
00:26:06,360 --> 00:26:10,880
Like is there really some 
secret, you know, cabal or 

355
00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:13,720
whatever out there that's kind 
of running all of this? 

356
00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:14,840
And maybe there is, I don't 
know. 

357
00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:17,960
But what did dawn on me is they 
have the same leader. 

358
00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:23,720
They they they serve the same 
deity deities, wrong word. 

359
00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:26,760
They serve the same master, 
Satan. 

360
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,160
Satan orchestrates all these 
things through the hearts of 

361
00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:37,560
evil men to destroy the 
foundations, to bring down the 

362
00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:42,720
righteous, to devour what's good
and to promote evil. 

363
00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:49,320
And so there's preparation 
behind the scenes. 

364
00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:51,120
The wicked prepare their 
attacks. 

365
00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:55,920
Why are they preparing? 
So it's to shoot in the darkness

366
00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:59,520
at the uprights. 
This is their aim. 

367
00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:02,160
They premeditate their attacks 
on the people of God. 

368
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,120
They're merely following their 
Lord, who is the Prince of 

369
00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:08,360
darkness, the devil. 
He's a liar and manipulator and 

370
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:10,000
murderer. 
From the beginning. 

371
00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:14,160
They cannot help but hate 
righteousness because their 

372
00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:20,080
hearts desire to do evil. 
Although they claim to be wise, 

373
00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:24,880
they are fools, as Romans one 
shows us, and they hate the 

374
00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:29,440
righteous because the righteous 
actions expose their wickedness,

375
00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:35,280
just like light on a cockroach. 
And Paul tells the Ephesians to 

376
00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:39,640
have nothing to do with the 
fruitful deeds of darkness, but 

377
00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:42,280
rather to expose them. 
Now how do we do this? 

378
00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,840
Do we walk around literally with
flashlights, shining it on 

379
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:46,560
people? 
No. 

380
00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:53,880
We do this by living righteously
as God would have us do. 

381
00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:58,800
We do this by striving to be 
holy as our Lord is holy. 

382
00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:03,920
We do it by bringing every word 
of Christ, every word of the 

383
00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:07,040
scriptures. 
We do it by living faithfully to

384
00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:10,880
God. 
We achieve this by separating 

385
00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,560
ourselves from belief and 
worldly ideologies. 

386
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:19,640
I need to say something that may
be difficult to hear. 

387
00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:26,640
As if all this isn't already, 
the time has come when 

388
00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:29,680
professing Christians can no 
longer align themselves with the

389
00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:33,800
left. 
You can no longer align yourself

390
00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:37,600
with the left's policies and the
left's ideologies. 

391
00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:42,680
They go so terribly against the 
Word of God. 

392
00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:51,560
It's a wicked, wicked world over
there, and the light of Christ 

393
00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:56,280
must expose their works. 
We can no longer coddle these 

394
00:28:56,280 --> 00:29:00,280
beliefs with the sin of empathy 
and compromise. 

395
00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:06,600
David's faithfulness to Yahweh 
early in his life was certainly 

396
00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:11,840
noticed by the wicked, and it 
made them furious. 

397
00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:16,840
It made them furious to the 
degree that they wanted to kill 

398
00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:22,120
him. 
The man who once delivered 

399
00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:31,280
Israel from the face of a giant 
who stood before the crowds and 

400
00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:34,880
says you will not defy the Lord 
of heaven. 

401
00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:42,200
That sound familiar? 
We saw a man murdered this week 

402
00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:45,400
who devoted his life to Christ 
and was courageous enough to 

403
00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:52,240
share it with others. 
The wicked dwell in darkness. 

404
00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,280
They prepare and plot against 
God as though he cannot see 

405
00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:57,440
them. 
But he sits in the heavens, and 

406
00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:01,400
he laughs. 
Psalms 2 tells us because his 

407
00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:05,840
purposes cannot be thwarted. 
They will not stop him. 

408
00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:12,000
They cannot stay his hand. 
There's a quote from church 

409
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:13,800
history and one of you guys here
will know who said it. 

410
00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:20,080
I'm sorry, but it says that the 
blood of the martyrs will be 

411
00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:22,320
essentially the growth of the 
church. 

412
00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:32,400
You see, God, Satan thought that
crucifying Christ would be the 

413
00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:37,320
end of the movement. 
But God raised him from the dead

414
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:43,800
and sent out 11 men, plus Paul 
and many others whom they 

415
00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:47,800
witnessed to and taught and 
discipled, and the whole world 

416
00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:49,760
was turned upside down. 
Literally. 

417
00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:55,400
These men gave their lives for 
Christ, many of them suffering 

418
00:30:55,400 --> 00:31:00,080
brutal, brutal deaths, 
beheadings, floggings, 

419
00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:05,000
crucifixions. 
Why? 

420
00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:07,760
Because Christ had done 
something in them. 

421
00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:11,520
Christ had changed their life. 
Christ had made them new 

422
00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:19,160
creations. 
But persecution, just like Paul 

423
00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:23,960
when he saw Cruz of persecuting 
the church. 

424
00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:28,400
And what happens to the early 
church as the persecutions begin

425
00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:32,000
to come? 
They spread out and they begin 

426
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,240
to proclaim the gospel in new 
regions. 

427
00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,280
And so now there's new 
believers. 

428
00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:41,760
And even in the stoning of 
Stephen, Stephen preaches one of

429
00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:45,920
the most beautiful sermons we 
have in all the Scriptures, and 

430
00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:50,280
we read it to this day, and it 
changes lives to this day 

431
00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:55,000
because God's Word is faithful 
and he cannot be stopped. 

432
00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:58,240
He's building his church and 
nothing will stop it. 

433
00:32:04,970 --> 00:32:07,610
The wicked dwell in darkness. 
They're plotting against God, 

434
00:32:07,610 --> 00:32:12,090
but they can't stop him. 
And so therefore, he is a refuge

435
00:32:12,090 --> 00:32:16,520
for the righteous. 
David quotes his advisors here. 

436
00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:20,240
And you can, you can sense it. 
It's that kind of weaselly talk 

437
00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:24,080
that comes from someone really. 
It's the sluggard of proverbs 

438
00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:26,800
who says there's a line outside,
so I'm going to stay inside. 

439
00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:30,560
It's the one who refuses to go 
to battle. 

440
00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:33,600
It's the one who refuses to 
fight the good fight and finish 

441
00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:37,560
the race well. 
And they say to him, David, if 

442
00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:41,200
the foundations are destroyed, 
what can we do? 

443
00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:47,680
What can the righteous do? 
And you can hear the despair, 

444
00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:54,040
you can hear the lack of faith, 
the lack of confidence in God, 

445
00:32:54,040 --> 00:32:55,960
the lack of confidence in 
Yahweh. 

446
00:32:56,480 --> 00:33:00,880
There's no covenant relationship
here that drives them to action.

447
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:03,800
Rather, they say if it's been 
destroyed, what else can we do? 

448
00:33:09,590 --> 00:33:13,150
They see it. 
They even name the moral and 

449
00:33:13,150 --> 00:33:18,440
social disorder, the things that
are crumbling under injustice 

450
00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:21,520
and idolatry. 
We just think of King Saul's 

451
00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:26,680
lawlessness. 
Our cultural moment now echoes 

452
00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:29,480
this, Brothers and sisters. 
Truly, there is nothing new 

453
00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:31,800
under the sun. 
Though the works of the wicked 

454
00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:34,840
are still playing out. 
They're still seeking their own 

455
00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:37,680
desires, and Satan's still 
devouring. 

456
00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:45,320
The Prince of the Kingdom of 
Darkness is still killing, 

457
00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:50,840
stealing, and destroying. 
So what can the righteous do? 

458
00:33:54,240 --> 00:34:00,480
What can we do? 
Well, for starters, Ecclesiastes

459
00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:03,000
3 does tell us there is a time 
to hate. 

460
00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,720
There's a time to love, a time 
to hate, a time for war, and a 

461
00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:11,120
time for peace. 
God commands the hatred of evil.

462
00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:16,920
Proverbs 813. 
The fear of the Lord is hatred 

463
00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:21,600
of evil, pride and arrogance in 
the way of evil and perverted 

464
00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:27,760
speech. 
I hate Psalm 9710. 

465
00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:30,480
Oh, you who love the Lord hate 
evil. 

466
00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:34,400
He preserves the lives of his 
Saints. 

467
00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:36,520
He delivers them from the hand 
of the wicked. 

468
00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:43,560
So there's this question that I 
was pondering this week with 

469
00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:48,400
some brothers. 
But are we called to love our 

470
00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:50,480
enemies and bless those who 
curse us? 

471
00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:59,880
Yes, yes, but you can do that by
hating their evil works. 

472
00:35:02,160 --> 00:35:06,600
Real enemy love. 
Real enemy love never blesses 

473
00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:11,800
their evil, it seeks their 
repentance while refusing to 

474
00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:17,360
enable their evil works. 
Romans 12/9 Let love be genuine,

475
00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:20,440
abhor what is evil, hold fast to
what is good. 

476
00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:27,840
Further on in Romans 12 we're 
told this, beloved, never avenge

477
00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:30,880
yourselves, but leave it to the 
wrath of God. 

478
00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:33,840
For it is written, vengeance is 
mine. 

479
00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:39,680
I will repay, says the Lord. 
And Paul continues a few verses 

480
00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:43,560
later, do not be overcome by 
evil, but overcome evil with 

481
00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:48,400
good. 
So since the vengeance isn't 

482
00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:53,360
ours, it's the Lord's, we must 
trust Him. 

483
00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:58,840
We must trust his timing. 
For when He repays, we must 

484
00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:02,760
continue to carry out the good 
works that He has given to us, 

485
00:36:03,240 --> 00:36:09,000
as we wait on Him to repay evil.
Are we clear? 

486
00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:14,280
But that doesn't mean that He's 
left us on our own. 

487
00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:19,840
Immediately following those 
instructions in Romans 12, we 

488
00:36:19,840 --> 00:36:24,000
get the instructions in Romans 
13, verses one through 4, which 

489
00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:26,600
say this. 
Let every person be subject to 

490
00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:30,560
the governing authorities. 
For there is no authority except

491
00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:35,640
from God, and those that exist 
have been instituted by God. 

492
00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:38,160
So there's no authority that 
exists except that which is from

493
00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:40,200
God. 
And all those who exist in 

494
00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:42,960
authority have been instituted 
by God. 

495
00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:47,000
Therefore whoever resists the 
authorities resists what God has

496
00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:51,960
appointed, and those who resist 
will incur judgments. 

497
00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:56,560
Now listen how? 
For rulers are not a terror to 

498
00:36:56,560 --> 00:37:01,320
good conduct. 
But too bad would you have No 

499
00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:03,360
Fear of the one who is in 
authority? 

500
00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:07,760
Then do what is good, and you 
will receive his approval, for 

501
00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:10,840
he is God's servant for your 
good. 

502
00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:17,960
But if you do wrong, be afraid, 
for he does not bear the sword 

503
00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:23,160
in vain, for he is the servant 
of God and avenger who carries 

504
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:25,840
out God's wrath on the 
wrongdoer. 

505
00:37:25,840 --> 00:37:34,320
Do you see one way in which God 
might carry out His wrath? 

506
00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:39,840
It's through the governing 
authorities who practice their 

507
00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:44,520
government under His rule 
submitted to Him, upholding what

508
00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:46,840
is good and abhorring what is 
evil. 

509
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:52,840
You see, God ordains rulers to 
punish evil and to praise good. 

510
00:37:53,800 --> 00:37:58,440
The state bears the sword so 
that evil might be restrained. 

511
00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:03,240
Our founders believed in this 
truth, so much so that our 

512
00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:06,120
country was founded on these 
principles. 

513
00:38:06,720 --> 00:38:10,320
However, when our officials 
abdicate on their God-given 

514
00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:14,680
responsibility, the instruction 
here is not for the church to 

515
00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:19,600
pick up the sword. 
The sword belongs to the state. 

516
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:26,800
And so we pray, we speak, we 
call our rulers to perform their

517
00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:31,480
God-given duty. 
It's true that you can look 

518
00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:34,360
around and see that foundations 
are being destroyed, and in many

519
00:38:34,360 --> 00:38:36,680
cases they've already been 
destroyed. 

520
00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:43,160
But our call as Christians is 
this first in the home. 

521
00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:49,360
Catechize your families. 
Teach them the Word of God. 

522
00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:56,160
Teach sound doctrine. 
Disavow worldly ideologies. 

523
00:38:56,280 --> 00:38:58,640
Know what they are and how to 
spot them. 

524
00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:02,560
Guard your heart and your mind, 
and guard the hearts and minds 

525
00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:04,080
of those who are under your 
roof. 

526
00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:07,880
Do so with diligence and 
vigilance. 

527
00:39:08,200 --> 00:39:12,120
This is how we keep fear 
narratives from discipling our 

528
00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:17,800
homes. 
Secondly, in the church we must 

529
00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:24,680
have categories for laments and 
imprecation, Imprecation so that

530
00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:29,760
we as God's people may have 
biblical categories for outrage 

531
00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:34,160
and hope, so we don't act 
oblivious when the evil 

532
00:39:34,160 --> 00:39:36,480
surrounds us. 
We know that it exists and we 

533
00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:40,520
know how to respond. 
As a church, we will speak up. 

534
00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:43,640
We will seek the Lord in the 
midst of great trials and 

535
00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:48,880
tribulations, and we must train 
our people to do this in the 

536
00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:51,560
culture right, the public 
square. 

537
00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:58,720
We must resist escapism. 
Brothers and sisters, no matter 

538
00:39:58,720 --> 00:40:06,440
how old you may be, you don't 
retire from the Lord's work 

539
00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:12,800
until the Lord calls you home. 
And you don't become so grouchy 

540
00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:17,480
about the things going on that 
you refuse to invest yourself in

541
00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:19,880
the lives of the men and women 
in your church. 

542
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:24,960
You give yourself to the cause 
by training next generations to 

543
00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:28,120
love the Lord with all their 
heart, mind, soul and strength, 

544
00:40:28,120 --> 00:40:30,000
and to love their neighbor as 
themselves. 

545
00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:43,240
No matter how young you are, 
whether you're 8513, the Lord 

546
00:40:43,240 --> 00:40:51,240
has called you to know His word.
He's called you to obey your 

547
00:40:51,240 --> 00:40:53,920
parents. 
He's called you to follow the 

548
00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:59,920
rules, to live according to His 
statutes, to obey His commands. 

549
00:41:02,240 --> 00:41:06,400
And so you work on that. 
Youth is a training ground for 

550
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:09,360
learning how to love the Lord, 
for learning how to love your 

551
00:41:09,360 --> 00:41:12,920
neighbor. 
Don't waste your youth. 

552
00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:22,200
Don't waste your youth. 
Now. 

553
00:41:24,880 --> 00:41:27,160
Now is the time for boldness and
courage. 

554
00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:35,760
We must name evil truthfully, we
must pray, and we must advocate 

555
00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:40,720
for just enforcement of the law 
without hatred. 

556
00:41:41,520 --> 00:41:46,920
Our intentions must be to save 
or to stop the wicked. 

557
00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:56,720
And next in the Psalm, David 
reveals his hope, the king on 

558
00:41:56,720 --> 00:41:58,640
his throne. 
Look at 4 through 6. 

559
00:41:58,840 --> 00:42:01,840
The Lord is in his holy temple. 
The Lord's throne is in heaven. 

560
00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:05,000
His eyes see his eyelids test 
the children of man. 

561
00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:08,840
The Lord tests the righteous. 
But his soul hates the wicked 

562
00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:13,480
and the one who loves violence. 
Let him rain coals on the 

563
00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:16,320
wicked. 
Fire and sulfur and a scorching 

564
00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:21,920
wind shall be the portion of 
their cup just there at the 

565
00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:24,640
beginning. 
Yahweh is in His holy temple. 

566
00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:29,840
Yahweh's throne is in heaven. 
Brothers and sisters, God is 

567
00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:36,440
presently actively ruling over 
all things. 

568
00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:42,920
He's not spectating. 
He's not sitting back watching, 

569
00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:46,080
hoping this plays out in some 
good way. 

570
00:42:46,440 --> 00:42:52,080
No, he's at work. 
His eyes see and his eyelids 

571
00:42:52,360 --> 00:42:56,560
test. 
We see here the idea of testing.

572
00:42:57,400 --> 00:43:04,280
You may think of a metal Smith. 
It examines the genuineness of a

573
00:43:04,280 --> 00:43:10,480
metal as it's being burned. 
It endures great testing by 

574
00:43:10,480 --> 00:43:14,280
fire. 
And in the same way God examines

575
00:43:14,280 --> 00:43:16,920
the genuineness of all his 
people. 

576
00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:20,120
The Lord is observing his 
creatures. 

577
00:43:20,440 --> 00:43:23,000
He's testing, it says. 
Here he's testing both the 

578
00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:29,120
wicked and the righteous. 
Yet the testing yields different

579
00:43:29,120 --> 00:43:32,600
results, right? 
The true believer bears the 

580
00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:36,480
fruit of faith and obedience as 
he's tested, right? 

581
00:43:36,480 --> 00:43:40,760
As his faith is tested, 
endurance grows, character 

582
00:43:40,760 --> 00:43:43,560
grows, strength grows, hope 
grows. 

583
00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:50,040
And while the wicked are tested,
they bear the rotten fruit of 

584
00:43:50,040 --> 00:43:53,480
rebellion and disobedience. 
Further sin. 

585
00:43:54,800 --> 00:43:58,480
The Lord's testing reveals the 
contents of 1's heart. 

586
00:43:59,560 --> 00:44:02,560
These trials are meant to purify
the righteous. 

587
00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:04,840
They're meant to expose the 
wicked. 

588
00:44:05,600 --> 00:44:09,320
This is why James One teaches us
to consider it an opportunity 

589
00:44:09,480 --> 00:44:13,720
for great joy when you suffer 
trials of various kinds. 

590
00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:16,200
Why? 
Because you get to see what's 

591
00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:19,520
true, and you also get to see 
what's wicked. 

592
00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:23,240
These things are revealed 
sometimes in our own hearts. 

593
00:44:25,320 --> 00:44:28,080
How many of you have been tested
of the Lord, endured great 

594
00:44:28,080 --> 00:44:32,640
suffering and trial, and in it 
you've come to see the error of 

595
00:44:32,640 --> 00:44:35,720
your own belief or the error of 
your own ways, right? 

596
00:44:38,320 --> 00:44:43,480
God will use testing as 
chastisement for his people that

597
00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:50,120
He loves, like sons, and he'll 
use testing as chastisement for 

598
00:44:50,120 --> 00:44:54,600
the wicked as well. 
And the character of their heart

599
00:44:54,600 --> 00:44:58,640
will be revealed. 
Verse 5 shows us that the Lord 

600
00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:01,560
hates the one who loves 
violence. 

601
00:45:03,360 --> 00:45:08,840
The phrase love of violence it's
broader than mere physical 

602
00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:13,640
assault. 
It denotes A settled affection 

603
00:45:14,560 --> 00:45:20,000
for wrongdoing. 
He loves the evil. 1 The wicked 

604
00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:25,080
one loves to do evil. 
He's got a settled affection for

605
00:45:25,080 --> 00:45:29,360
it. 
His heart craves it, and so it 

606
00:45:29,360 --> 00:45:35,520
culminates in violence, which 
could be a spiritual violence or

607
00:45:35,520 --> 00:45:41,400
physical violence. 
It's demonic torment. 

608
00:45:42,720 --> 00:45:47,040
God's hatred is wholly 
opposition to such persons. 

609
00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:51,520
A friend of mine pointed this 
out to me this week. 

610
00:45:54,880 --> 00:45:58,120
We were talking and and we got 
to some of these points and 

611
00:45:58,120 --> 00:46:00,760
these are some of the things 
that he was able to to share 

612
00:46:00,760 --> 00:46:03,840
that I thought were helpful. 
He said, notice that it is 

613
00:46:03,840 --> 00:46:09,680
indeed a person that the Lord 
hates, which calls into question

614
00:46:09,680 --> 00:46:13,840
the popular and unbiblical 
phrase that God loves the Sinner

615
00:46:13,840 --> 00:46:19,440
but hates the sin. 
Aren't we told that God is love?

616
00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:24,640
How could God hate them? 
And why then are we told to love

617
00:46:24,640 --> 00:46:27,680
our enemies if God is shown to 
be hating them? 

618
00:46:29,120 --> 00:46:31,000
Right? 
These are good questions to ask.

619
00:46:32,640 --> 00:46:37,080
Remember that God is holy and 
everything that he does, He's 

620
00:46:37,080 --> 00:46:40,600
perfect in all that he does. 
He he perfectly loves 

621
00:46:40,720 --> 00:46:44,480
righteousness and he perfectly 
hates unrighteousness. 

622
00:46:45,560 --> 00:46:49,040
We do not possess the same 
wisdom that God does. 

623
00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:51,080
Everyone agree? 
All right. 

624
00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:56,920
Do we know whether or not a 
current enemy of ours will be 

625
00:46:56,920 --> 00:47:01,240
converted into one of God's 
children by our actions and by 

626
00:47:01,240 --> 00:47:02,880
the way that we proclaim the 
gospel? 

627
00:47:03,680 --> 00:47:07,400
Of course we don't. 
That's why we're called to love 

628
00:47:07,400 --> 00:47:09,280
our enemies and to proclaim the 
gospel. 

629
00:47:10,760 --> 00:47:13,480
In other words, we're not 
permitted to hate our enemies. 

630
00:47:14,400 --> 00:47:17,440
But this does not mean that God 
is not permitted to hate His 

631
00:47:17,440 --> 00:47:21,120
enemies. 
In verse 6, David turns his 

632
00:47:21,400 --> 00:47:30,800
prayer really to retribution. 
Imprecation, coals, fire, 

633
00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:34,720
sulfur, scorching wind. 
These things recall Sodom. 

634
00:47:36,480 --> 00:47:40,560
They recall the cup of divine 
wrath as it rained down on Sodom

635
00:47:40,560 --> 00:47:45,200
and Gomorrah. 
This is covenant court language.

636
00:47:46,040 --> 00:47:50,160
God assigns the portion fitting 
to their evil deeds, whether it 

637
00:47:50,160 --> 00:47:53,360
be coals or fire or sulfur or 
scorching wind. 

638
00:47:56,000 --> 00:48:00,160
Verses 4 through 6 that reveals 
some of the important things for

639
00:48:00,160 --> 00:48:04,840
us to notice. 
Number one is the omniscience, 

640
00:48:05,280 --> 00:48:07,960
the omnipresence, the 
omnipotence of God. 

641
00:48:10,840 --> 00:48:13,960
The the eyes of the Lord are in 
every place. 

642
00:48:14,680 --> 00:48:19,920
It says what this means is you 
cannot deceive God. 

643
00:48:21,280 --> 00:48:24,480
Evil doers, the wicked cannot 
deceive God. 

644
00:48:25,960 --> 00:48:29,320
You can't hide yourself from 
Him, and they cannot hide their 

645
00:48:29,320 --> 00:48:32,360
self from them. 
They may, they may fit the bow 

646
00:48:33,320 --> 00:48:37,880
and mount the arrow in the 
darkness and seek to take a shot

647
00:48:37,880 --> 00:48:41,760
in the darkness, but they're not
literally hidden from the side 

648
00:48:41,760 --> 00:48:44,520
of God. 
He sees it all. 

649
00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:49,680
The second thing we notice here 
is there are two judgments that 

650
00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:53,840
are distinguished. 
The Scriptures speak of a final 

651
00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:59,200
a final judgment on the wicked 
and the Bema seat judgment for 

652
00:48:59,200 --> 00:49:02,720
believers. 
Now the wicked will receive the 

653
00:49:02,720 --> 00:49:06,560
reward for their evil deeds, 
eternal damnation. 

654
00:49:09,400 --> 00:49:14,720
Believers will not be judged 
based on salvation as they have 

655
00:49:14,720 --> 00:49:19,000
already been forgiven and 
justified in Christ by God's 

656
00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:24,560
grace, but on their stewardship 
of the good works that God gave 

657
00:49:24,560 --> 00:49:27,680
them, on their stewardship of 
the things that God put before 

658
00:49:27,680 --> 00:49:30,120
them to do. 
They will be judged. 

659
00:49:30,120 --> 00:49:33,920
They will it will be tested to 
see what is the of eternal value

660
00:49:34,320 --> 00:49:40,560
and what is not. 
The third thing these things 

661
00:49:40,560 --> 00:49:42,600
reveal for us are the church and
the states. 

662
00:49:44,640 --> 00:49:47,480
The church is called by God. 
It holds the authority of the 

663
00:49:47,480 --> 00:49:50,720
Word. 
We're told that it's a pillar 

664
00:49:50,720 --> 00:49:53,480
and buttress for the truth or 
that it ought to be. 

665
00:49:54,320 --> 00:49:57,560
Local churches ought to be a 
pillar and a buttress of the 

666
00:49:57,560 --> 00:50:01,800
truth. 
We hold the authority of water 

667
00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:10,200
baptism, right? 
We affirm when God has set His 

668
00:50:10,200 --> 00:50:17,960
seal on someone through baptism,
and we hold the authority of the

669
00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:25,080
table, the Lord's Supper, right.
We allow Christians, people who 

670
00:50:25,080 --> 00:50:27,960
have confessed Christ as Lord 
and have given themselves to 

671
00:50:27,960 --> 00:50:31,320
him, we allow them to receive 
the Lord's Supper with us. 

672
00:50:31,320 --> 00:50:35,600
But if that's not you, if that 
doesn't apply, then you're 

673
00:50:35,600 --> 00:50:40,080
forbidden to receive the Lord's 
Supper until you submit yourself

674
00:50:40,080 --> 00:50:47,240
to Christ. 
The state wields the sword. 

675
00:50:48,360 --> 00:50:51,320
It carries out God's judgment on
evil doers. 

676
00:50:51,680 --> 00:50:55,120
Or it should. 
It's meant to restrain evil. 

677
00:50:56,120 --> 00:50:59,840
It's meant to promote what is 
good and right and lovely. 

678
00:51:02,160 --> 00:51:06,600
And so we pray prayers like 
Psalm 11 as an act of faith and 

679
00:51:06,600 --> 00:51:10,880
trusting vengeance to God, not 
taking it ourselves. 

680
00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:18,320
And so, brothers and sisters, 
you must understand prayer as 

681
00:51:18,320 --> 00:51:25,040
warfare. 
You must understand prayer as 

682
00:51:25,040 --> 00:51:32,480
warfare. 
Far too often, far too often for

683
00:51:32,480 --> 00:51:38,400
Christians, the only time they 
pray is Lord bless this food 

684
00:51:38,400 --> 00:51:43,960
that we eat. 
I'm not saying that's a bad 

685
00:51:43,960 --> 00:51:49,760
prayer. 
I'm just saying it's a passive 

686
00:51:49,760 --> 00:51:53,040
approach to a supernatural 
weapon that the Lord has 

687
00:51:53,040 --> 00:51:57,800
graciously given you. 
It's a lack of understanding of 

688
00:51:57,800 --> 00:52:06,760
the power of prayer. 
The world loves to mock our 

689
00:52:06,760 --> 00:52:09,480
prayers. 
You've seen it this week in 

690
00:52:09,480 --> 00:52:12,040
times of crisis. 
People all over TikTok and 

691
00:52:12,040 --> 00:52:16,480
Twitter and Facebook mocking 
thoughts and prayers as they 

692
00:52:16,480 --> 00:52:24,480
quote it. 
But Psalm 11, Psalm 11 teaches 

693
00:52:24,480 --> 00:52:26,840
prayer not as passivity, 
brothers and sisters. 

694
00:52:29,560 --> 00:52:33,920
It teaches it as warfare under 
the throne of the king. 

695
00:52:39,840 --> 00:52:42,040
We must also call for public 
justice. 

696
00:52:43,320 --> 00:52:45,960
We must call our civil 
magistrates to do their duty 

697
00:52:45,960 --> 00:52:50,560
impartially and swiftly where 
they fell. 

698
00:52:50,600 --> 00:52:54,200
We appeal to God and persevere 
in our witness. 

699
00:52:56,240 --> 00:53:04,160
We must maintain gospel clarity.
There are two cups, wrath and 

700
00:53:04,160 --> 00:53:10,480
grace, at the Lord's table. 
We rejoice that Christ has drank

701
00:53:10,680 --> 00:53:15,680
the cup of wrath for us. 
He's done so, so that the 

702
00:53:15,680 --> 00:53:18,720
upright in Him will never have 
to drink it. 

703
00:53:19,240 --> 00:53:22,720
We've received a cup of grace. 
The portion of the cup of the 

704
00:53:22,720 --> 00:53:26,280
wicked is wrath, but for those 
who have taken refuge in Christ,

705
00:53:26,480 --> 00:53:32,600
it is grace. 
I want you to know there's only 

706
00:53:32,600 --> 00:53:34,400
two kinds of people in this 
world. 

707
00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:41,120
There are those who are under 
God's wrath and those who are 

708
00:53:41,120 --> 00:53:46,160
under God's mercy. 
There's no one else. 

709
00:53:46,160 --> 00:53:49,440
There's no in between. 
There's no middle ground. 

710
00:53:50,920 --> 00:53:55,160
If you're unsure where you stand
today, then I urge you to seek 

711
00:53:55,320 --> 00:53:58,400
the mercy of God, to cry out to 
Him. 

712
00:53:58,400 --> 00:54:05,760
Just as Miss Dotson testified 
today, I prayed every night that

713
00:54:05,760 --> 00:54:11,480
the Lord would save me. 
I urge you to seek the mercy of 

714
00:54:11,480 --> 00:54:14,040
God. 
Ask Him to reveal your true 

715
00:54:14,040 --> 00:54:19,080
affections so that you may 
repent and find grace before 

716
00:54:19,080 --> 00:54:24,960
it's too late. 
Finally, Davis brings us to the 

717
00:54:24,960 --> 00:54:30,080
reward for the uprights. 
The reward of the upright, verse

718
00:54:30,080 --> 00:54:35,560
7 For the Lord is righteous. 
He loves righteous deeds. 

719
00:54:35,560 --> 00:54:39,600
The upright shall behold his 
face. 

720
00:54:45,320 --> 00:54:51,240
The song closes by grounding 
judgments and hope in God's 

721
00:54:51,240 --> 00:54:56,960
righteous character. 
He loves righteous deeds. 

722
00:54:57,840 --> 00:55:04,680
He is righteous and He promises.
There's a promise in verse 7. 

723
00:55:04,680 --> 00:55:07,320
You cannot miss. 
You should underline, circle it,

724
00:55:07,320 --> 00:55:09,280
whatever you need to do to 
remember this. 

725
00:55:09,440 --> 00:55:12,880
The upright shall behold his 
face. 

726
00:55:15,600 --> 00:55:18,200
The first line of the Psalm 
showed us where the believer's 

727
00:55:18,360 --> 00:55:24,160
safety lies in Yahweh. 
I take refuge. 

728
00:55:25,320 --> 00:55:28,560
And the last line shows where 
his heart should now be. 

729
00:55:30,200 --> 00:55:32,760
The Lord is righteous. 
He loves righteous deeds. 

730
00:55:32,760 --> 00:55:35,080
The upright shall behold his 
face. 

731
00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:39,000
In this world. 
You're going to be surrounded by

732
00:55:39,000 --> 00:55:45,400
darkness on every side but but 
here in the passage, there's a 

733
00:55:45,400 --> 00:55:50,280
light shone from heaven to help 
guide your heart throughout your

734
00:55:50,400 --> 00:55:52,400
life and everything that you 
face. 

735
00:55:52,400 --> 00:55:56,040
There's a light shining down on 
you now and it's to give you the

736
00:55:56,040 --> 00:55:59,160
hope of salvation. 
It's to help you find a refuge 

737
00:55:59,160 --> 00:56:04,480
and courage in this life. 
The apostle John reminds us in 

738
00:56:04,480 --> 00:56:09,920
first John 32 Beloved, we are 
God's children now and what we 

739
00:56:09,920 --> 00:56:14,720
will be has not yet appeared, 
but we know that when he 

740
00:56:14,720 --> 00:56:20,040
appears, we shall be like Him 
because we will see Him as He 

741
00:56:20,040 --> 00:56:22,360
is. 
Praise God. 

742
00:56:25,360 --> 00:56:28,160
So what do we do when we suffer 
significant harm? 

743
00:56:30,800 --> 00:56:37,520
Do we repay evil with evil? 
Not at all, not at all. 

744
00:56:38,760 --> 00:56:43,720
We we trust the Lord, we entrust
ourselves to his care, but we 

745
00:56:43,720 --> 00:56:47,680
trust that He will repay evil 
doers for their evil deeds. 

746
00:56:48,520 --> 00:56:53,600
Vengeance belongs to Him alone, 
and he may carry that out in 

747
00:56:53,600 --> 00:56:58,560
this life, but he will certainly
repay them in the next life. 

748
00:56:59,760 --> 00:57:03,160
And so our prayer was like 
Paul's in Second Timothy 414 

749
00:57:03,160 --> 00:57:06,120
where he says the Lord will 
repay him according to his 

750
00:57:06,120 --> 00:57:09,320
deeds. 
We pray for the Lord to reward 

751
00:57:09,320 --> 00:57:11,320
the evildoer for their 
lawlessness. 

752
00:57:15,400 --> 00:57:17,440
And why can we trust God to do 
this? 

753
00:57:19,280 --> 00:57:24,920
How can we rest in our wounds 
without needing to wound 

754
00:57:24,920 --> 00:57:30,960
another? 
Another friend, Mr. Meadows, 

755
00:57:31,240 --> 00:57:35,480
help me answer these questions. 
You can do that because of 

756
00:57:35,480 --> 00:57:39,160
Christ. 
When he came the first time, He 

757
00:57:39,160 --> 00:57:40,960
came like a lamb to the 
slaughter. 

758
00:57:41,640 --> 00:57:44,440
But when he comes again, he will
be the lion of the tribe of 

759
00:57:44,440 --> 00:57:48,440
Judah who comes to rule and 
reign, and the Lord will make 

760
00:57:48,440 --> 00:57:54,240
all his enemies his footstool. 
He rode on a lowly donkey into 

761
00:57:54,240 --> 00:57:57,960
Jerusalem, but he will bolt out 
of heaven in a white on a White 

762
00:57:57,960 --> 00:58:02,720
Horse. 
He was given a crown of thorns 

763
00:58:02,720 --> 00:58:07,720
at his crucifixion, but he will 
receive many diademns in heaven.

764
00:58:09,080 --> 00:58:12,600
He offers words of forgiveness 
now, but he will bring a sharp 2

765
00:58:12,600 --> 00:58:16,960
edged sword to slay his enemies.
He believed many to heaven, and 

766
00:58:16,960 --> 00:58:21,360
He will consign many to hell. 
He suffered mistrials, but He 

767
00:58:21,360 --> 00:58:24,120
will execute purpose, perfect 
justice. 

768
00:58:25,240 --> 00:58:28,280
The evil doers are trying to 
hide in darkness now, but the 

769
00:58:28,280 --> 00:58:31,280
eyes of the Lord see it all. 
And He is on His throne in 

770
00:58:31,280 --> 00:58:36,800
heaven, storing up his wrath to 
be poured out on that great day 

771
00:58:36,800 --> 00:58:41,160
where He returns. 
And when he came the first time,

772
00:58:41,160 --> 00:58:45,240
He stood before Pilots. 
But when he comes again, Pilot 

773
00:58:45,240 --> 00:58:50,760
will stand before him. 
These truths must stiffen our 

774
00:58:50,760 --> 00:58:55,200
spines, brothers and sisters. 
They must stiffen our spines in 

775
00:58:55,200 --> 00:58:58,560
dark days. 
The people of God have stood in 

776
00:58:58,560 --> 00:59:03,120
the place that you're standing 
right now for thousands of 

777
00:59:03,120 --> 00:59:09,560
years, suffering violence, 
suffering the wounds of the 

778
00:59:09,560 --> 00:59:13,920
wicked, the attacks, the 
murders, the slaying of life. 

779
00:59:18,520 --> 00:59:23,120
God will not leave us. 
He will never forsake us. 

780
00:59:23,440 --> 00:59:26,680
The upright shall behold his 
face. 

781
00:59:27,040 --> 00:59:30,600
And so let us not be found weak 
in dark days. 

782
00:59:31,480 --> 00:59:33,760
Let us not give in to the 
temptation to flee to the 

783
00:59:33,760 --> 00:59:36,520
mountain like a bird. 
Let us not escape from the 

784
00:59:36,520 --> 00:59:42,040
Lord's refuge to another refuge 
that cannot protect or save us. 

785
00:59:42,760 --> 00:59:46,200
When evil shakes the 
foundations, the righteous 

786
00:59:46,200 --> 00:59:49,440
answer not with flight, but with
faith. 

787
00:59:53,080 --> 00:59:55,640
So again you may ask, what does 
this mean for us? 

788
00:59:55,640 --> 01:00:00,360
What do we do? 
In many ways, you keep giving 

789
01:00:00,360 --> 01:00:04,200
yourselves to the same things 
you've been giving yourself to 

790
01:00:05,880 --> 01:00:14,240
build godly homes. 
Marriage must be honored, it 

791
01:00:14,240 --> 01:00:18,560
must be revered. 
It must be protected. 

792
01:00:21,760 --> 01:00:26,120
Disciple your children. 
Teach them to love the Lord. 

793
01:00:26,280 --> 01:00:30,440
Train them in righteousness. 
Beg the Lord to save their 

794
01:00:30,440 --> 01:00:34,760
souls. 
Read scripture in your home. 

795
01:00:35,000 --> 01:00:41,440
Sing together, pray together 
regularly. 

796
01:00:42,960 --> 01:00:46,320
All of this is right in step 
with Ephesians 64 and 

797
01:00:46,320 --> 01:00:52,280
Deuteronomy chapter 6. 
As a church, we commit to 

798
01:00:52,280 --> 01:00:55,960
Christ. 
We remain committed to the Lord,

799
01:00:55,960 --> 01:00:57,800
the King of kings, the Lord of 
Lords. 

800
01:00:58,040 --> 01:01:04,840
We remain committed to His word.
We live for His approval, not 

801
01:01:04,840 --> 01:01:07,120
man's. 
Come what may. 

802
01:01:09,480 --> 01:01:14,000
We give ourselves to prayer, to 
singing, to the sacraments. 

803
01:01:14,000 --> 01:01:17,800
We give ourselves to fellowship.
We make the Lord's Day a 

804
01:01:17,800 --> 01:01:23,160
priority, a day of worship and 
discipleship, a day of rest. 

805
01:01:25,640 --> 01:01:29,880
We work towards becoming better 
evangelist men and women who go 

806
01:01:29,880 --> 01:01:32,680
out and proclaim the Word of God
in the public square. 

807
01:01:34,000 --> 01:01:40,560
Those things must be woven into 
our weekly rhythms in the 

808
01:01:40,560 --> 01:01:44,760
culture. 
We live out our vocations as 

809
01:01:44,760 --> 01:01:47,560
public righteousness. 
Whatever the Lord has called you

810
01:01:47,560 --> 01:01:52,000
to do, you do it unto the glory 
of the Lord on high. 

811
01:01:53,720 --> 01:01:59,000
You become the best employee or 
the best boss, not for man's 

812
01:01:59,000 --> 01:02:01,440
approval, but to glorify your 
Lord. 

813
01:02:02,360 --> 01:02:06,600
Speak often about Christ. 
Speak often about the hope of 

814
01:02:06,600 --> 01:02:09,200
heaven. 
If you see someone suffering in 

815
01:02:09,200 --> 01:02:12,560
your job, suffering hardship or 
heartache or whatever, go to 

816
01:02:12,560 --> 01:02:13,800
them. 
Pray with them. 

817
01:02:13,920 --> 01:02:16,240
Minister to them. 
Use it as an opportunity to 

818
01:02:16,240 --> 01:02:21,040
share the gospel. 
If your company's taken a 

819
01:02:21,040 --> 01:02:23,840
direction that is unethical, 
speak up. 

820
01:02:24,720 --> 01:02:26,640
Trust the Lord to provide for 
you. 

821
01:02:27,960 --> 01:02:30,760
Even if you get the axe, who 
cares? 

822
01:02:33,000 --> 01:02:39,320
There are things worse more than
that provision, and God will 

823
01:02:39,320 --> 01:02:44,040
provide for you. 
So speak the truth with courage.

824
01:02:44,560 --> 01:02:48,200
Speak it with gentleness. 
Speak it with the desire to see 

825
01:02:48,200 --> 01:02:52,800
the one you're talking to saved.
Christ would be their Lord. 

826
01:02:52,800 --> 01:02:57,240
Call your rulers to fidelity in 
Romans 13. 

827
01:02:59,000 --> 01:03:04,600
Love enemies while hating evil 
churches. 

828
01:03:04,600 --> 01:03:06,360
We close. 
I encourage you to lift your 

829
01:03:06,360 --> 01:03:10,400
eyes. 
The King is on his throne. 

830
01:03:11,680 --> 01:03:15,200
So this week I want you to take 
your stand where David begins. 

831
01:03:16,120 --> 01:03:20,720
In the Lord, I take refuge. 
Open your Bible This week, bow 

832
01:03:20,720 --> 01:03:23,240
your head. 
This week, say it out loud. 

833
01:03:23,240 --> 01:03:25,840
In the Lord I take refuge, 
Right? 

834
01:03:26,360 --> 01:03:29,280
Repeat it to yourself. 
Refuse the counsel of fear. 

835
01:03:29,280 --> 01:03:32,520
Do not flee into silence or 
rage. 

836
01:03:33,160 --> 01:03:38,480
Stand, speak, serve even when 
the wicked shoot in the dark at 

837
01:03:38,480 --> 01:03:43,320
the uprights. 
Wage prayer warfare in your 

838
01:03:43,320 --> 01:03:46,640
homes. 
Lament together what is evil and

839
01:03:46,640 --> 01:03:50,200
in faith. 
Ask God to save or to stop the 

840
01:03:50,200 --> 01:03:52,920
evildoer. 
Ask God to restrain the 

841
01:03:52,920 --> 01:03:55,520
wickedness. 
Ask God to heal the wounded and 

842
01:03:55,520 --> 01:04:00,080
comfort the grieving. 
Build godly homes that push back

843
01:04:00,160 --> 01:04:02,320
the dark. 
Honor your marriage vows. 

844
01:04:02,320 --> 01:04:04,680
Disciple your children. 
Practice hospitality. 

845
01:04:04,800 --> 01:04:08,320
Be all in with Christ and the 
Word and prayer. 

846
01:04:08,440 --> 01:04:12,120
Be present with Christ's people 
under Christ's word before 

847
01:04:12,120 --> 01:04:17,360
Christ's throne. 
And then go, go into the public 

848
01:04:17,360 --> 01:04:22,080
square lawfully and peaceably. 
Call rulers to fulfill their 

849
01:04:22,080 --> 01:04:26,000
Romans 13 duty to punish evil 
and protect the innocent. 

850
01:04:26,360 --> 01:04:30,280
And where they fail, appeal to 
the higher court of heaven and 

851
01:04:30,280 --> 01:04:34,800
keep doing good. 
Do not grow weary of doing good.

852
01:04:34,800 --> 01:04:39,160
Brothers and sisters, fix your 
hope. 

853
01:04:40,920 --> 01:04:47,320
The judge of all the earth sees.
He tests and He will do right. 

854
01:04:48,400 --> 01:04:51,880
The cup of wrath is real, but 
Christ has drunk it for all 

855
01:04:51,880 --> 01:04:56,200
those who trust in Him, and so 
therefore the upright will 

856
01:04:56,360 --> 01:05:00,240
behold His face. 
Take courage, Saints. 

857
01:05:01,080 --> 01:05:05,920
When the foundations shake, our 
foundation stands. 

858
01:05:07,120 --> 01:05:11,600
The King is on His throne, and 
so let us live and pray and 

859
01:05:11,600 --> 01:05:15,360
persevere like we believe it 
Would. 

860
01:05:15,360 --> 01:05:19,760
You pray with me now. 
Heavenly Father, we thank you 

861
01:05:19,760 --> 01:05:22,200
today for Psalm 11 and for your 
word. 

862
01:05:24,960 --> 01:05:29,400
We ask, Lord, that you would 
help us to be like David and 

863
01:05:29,400 --> 01:05:36,640
Psalm 11, to take refuge in You.
And when those around us may 

864
01:05:36,640 --> 01:05:42,120
cower and fear even professing 
believers, may you grant us a 

865
01:05:42,120 --> 01:05:48,720
courage to speak truth into the 
darkness, to call down the fires

866
01:05:48,720 --> 01:05:54,560
of heaven on the evildoers, to 
take comfort in a God who loves 

867
01:05:54,800 --> 01:06:02,160
righteousness and detest evil. 
And God, would you help us to 

868
01:06:02,160 --> 01:06:09,240
have this hope that you are 
righteous, that you love 

869
01:06:09,240 --> 01:06:12,480
righteous deeds? 
And so let us give ourselves to 

870
01:06:12,480 --> 01:06:16,160
righteous deeds, help us to walk
in the good works that you've 

871
01:06:16,160 --> 01:06:21,040
given us. 
And Father, may we have this 

872
01:06:21,040 --> 01:06:24,840
hope that we will one day behold
your face. 

873
01:06:27,520 --> 01:06:37,240
Father, I ask that you save 
anyone here who does not know 

874
01:06:37,240 --> 01:06:41,760
you as their Lord, that you 
would bring them to their knees 

875
01:06:41,760 --> 01:06:46,120
and conviction that they would 
see the error of their ways. 

876
01:06:47,480 --> 01:06:50,720
They would see the the bad fruit
of the desires of their own 

877
01:06:50,720 --> 01:06:52,760
hearts. 
That they would see that they 

878
01:06:52,760 --> 01:06:57,240
are in need, great need of a 
Savior, and that you have 

879
01:06:57,240 --> 01:07:00,240
provided him for us in Christ 
your Son. 

880
01:07:02,680 --> 01:07:08,160
She loved the world so much that
you gave us Jesus Christ to die 

881
01:07:08,160 --> 01:07:12,480
for us, that we may not perish 
but have eternal life. 

882
01:07:13,920 --> 01:07:15,960
That's the Lord. 
Would you grant them faith in 

883
01:07:15,960 --> 01:07:19,480
Jesus as they confess and repent
of their sins? 

884
01:07:19,480 --> 01:07:23,600
Help them to confess also that 
Christ is Lord and to believe 

885
01:07:23,800 --> 01:07:25,480
that you raised him from the 
dead. 

886
01:07:27,280 --> 01:07:35,680
Give them new life today. 
Ask these things in the name of 

887
01:07:35,680 --> 01:07:40,960
Christ, Amen, and invite you to 
remain seated. 

888
01:07:40,960 --> 01:07:43,120
We're going to do something a 
little different for a moment. 

889
01:07:43,880 --> 01:07:49,280
There's going to be some prompts
on the screen for prayer, and 

890
01:07:49,280 --> 01:07:51,920
these are to guide you in your 
prayers there in your seat this 

891
01:07:51,920 --> 01:07:53,200
morning. 
I'm going to give you a moment 

892
01:07:53,200 --> 01:07:55,960
for each prompt, and then I'll 
conclude it with a prayer, and 

893
01:07:55,960 --> 01:07:59,480
we'll move to the next one. 
There's just three, but we'll 

894
01:07:59,480 --> 01:08:03,800
pray through these three things 
as a church family, and then 

895
01:08:03,800 --> 01:08:05,920
we'll move into the Lord's 
Supper here in a moment. 

896
01:08:05,920 --> 01:08:12,480
So prompt #1 let's pray for our 
nation, state, and city that God

897
01:08:12,480 --> 01:08:16,279
would restrain evil and 
establish justice under His 

898
01:08:16,279 --> 01:08:17,760
rule. 
Would you pray with us? 

899
01:09:00,000 --> 01:09:06,200
Lord, we confess that you were 
on your throne, and so we ask 

900
01:09:06,560 --> 01:09:08,160
that you would restrain the 
evil. 

901
01:09:09,840 --> 01:09:12,640
We ask that you would expose 
violent plots. 

902
01:09:14,279 --> 01:09:18,920
We ask that You would move our 
rulers to punish wickedness and 

903
01:09:18,920 --> 01:09:22,600
protect the innocent with 
impartial justice. 

904
01:09:25,160 --> 01:09:28,520
We ask also, Father, that You 
would save or stop those who 

905
01:09:28,520 --> 01:09:36,600
love violence. 
Lord, would you comfort the 

906
01:09:36,600 --> 01:09:39,800
bereaved? 
Would you heal the wounded? 

907
01:09:41,319 --> 01:09:46,279
Would You uphold truth in our 
courts and in our law 

908
01:09:46,279 --> 01:09:50,520
enforcement? 
Would You send an awakening in 

909
01:09:50,520 --> 01:09:57,760
our nation? 
I think we're seeing a beginning

910
01:09:57,760 --> 01:10:00,680
of that in some sense, and I 
praise you for it. 

911
01:10:01,960 --> 01:10:08,320
Many people who previously 
wouldn't consider you or your 

912
01:10:08,320 --> 01:10:14,760
son are now asking questions, 
all due to the faithful message 

913
01:10:14,760 --> 01:10:19,320
of one man, and we praise you 
for his witness. 

914
01:10:24,040 --> 01:10:27,000
Would you grant integrity in our
states? 

915
01:10:27,000 --> 01:10:34,240
Would you grant integrity in in 
our courts and our government? 

916
01:10:37,680 --> 01:10:42,480
Would you let peace and 
righteousness reign in our 

917
01:10:42,480 --> 01:10:47,040
nation? 
Father, we pray that your 

918
01:10:47,040 --> 01:10:51,280
Kingdom come and your will be 
done here. 

919
01:10:54,080 --> 01:10:58,280
Amen. 
Let's pray now for Christchurch,

920
01:10:59,320 --> 01:11:02,360
that our worship be pure and our
witness be bold and clear. 

921
01:11:38,680 --> 01:11:41,320
Heavenly Father, we ask now that
you would make us a House of 

922
01:11:41,320 --> 01:11:44,800
prayer. 
There will be a people committed

923
01:11:46,800 --> 01:11:51,480
to come in boldly before your 
throne of grace and our time of 

924
01:11:51,480 --> 01:11:57,000
need to find mercy and grace. 
Help us to understand that we 

925
01:11:57,000 --> 01:12:01,160
have a high priest in heaven, 
great High Priest, who is 

926
01:12:01,160 --> 01:12:05,760
sympathetic to our weaknesses, 
tested and tried in every way, 

927
01:12:05,760 --> 01:12:10,040
as we are yet without sin, and 
he stands before the throne of 

928
01:12:10,040 --> 01:12:15,440
God for us. 
Lord, let us come boldly. 

929
01:12:16,880 --> 01:12:19,640
And Your Word tells us that even
when we know not what to pray, 

930
01:12:21,640 --> 01:12:25,480
in Romans 8, we see that the 
Holy Spirit carries those 

931
01:12:25,480 --> 01:12:29,440
groanings before the throne and 
perfects them for us. 

932
01:12:32,160 --> 01:12:35,800
We thank you, Lord, that you are
our help in every single way, 

933
01:12:35,800 --> 01:12:40,880
but especially in prayer. 
Lord, would you make us a 

934
01:12:40,880 --> 01:12:46,680
people, this local church, 
steadfast in Word, steadfast in 

935
01:12:46,680 --> 01:12:50,240
prayer, steadfast in our 
observance of the Lord's Supper 

936
01:12:50,240 --> 01:12:54,440
and baptism, steadfast in our 
fellowship, steadfast in our 

937
01:12:54,440 --> 01:12:58,840
unity of peace and love. 
Would you purify our worship? 

938
01:12:59,480 --> 01:13:06,160
Unite us in holy love, Father, 
would you clothe us in spiritual

939
01:13:06,160 --> 01:13:11,480
armor? 
Give us courageous and gentle 

940
01:13:12,080 --> 01:13:16,440
and clear witness to Christ in a
confused age? 

941
01:13:19,160 --> 01:13:23,040
Would you revive your church 
across the nation, across the 

942
01:13:23,040 --> 01:13:25,920
world? 
Restore first the love. 

943
01:13:25,920 --> 01:13:33,200
Restore the love of Christ. 
Raise up men and women of 

944
01:13:33,200 --> 01:13:35,040
prayer. 
Raise up men and women who will 

945
01:13:35,040 --> 01:13:39,760
be evangelists. 
Grants us laborers for the 

946
01:13:39,760 --> 01:13:45,160
harvest, which is plentiful, but
the workers are few. 

947
01:13:46,480 --> 01:13:50,560
Let our fellowship shine us salt
and light. 

948
01:13:55,930 --> 01:13:59,170
Amen. 
We're going to pray now for our 

949
01:13:59,170 --> 01:14:02,690
families that marriages stand 
firm and children are discipled 

950
01:14:03,130 --> 01:14:35,640
in the Lord. 
Heavenly Father, we now beg of 

951
01:14:35,640 --> 01:14:40,800
you to strengthen marriages in 
covenant faithfulness. 

952
01:14:42,280 --> 01:14:46,800
You give us a desire for our 
spouse, that you would give us a

953
01:14:46,800 --> 01:14:51,760
desire to honor you in our 
marriages, to build godly 

954
01:14:51,760 --> 01:14:56,400
legacies through marriage and 
childbearing, legacies that last

955
01:14:56,400 --> 01:15:00,320
for generations to come, and to 
our children and grandchildren 

956
01:15:00,320 --> 01:15:02,200
and great grandchildren and 
beyond. 

957
01:15:04,240 --> 01:15:07,800
Father, would you start that 
work in US? 

958
01:15:10,800 --> 01:15:15,000
Would you heal wounds? 
I know that their marriage is 

959
01:15:15,000 --> 01:15:18,200
suffering from various wounds. 
Would you heal those wounds? 

960
01:15:18,200 --> 01:15:20,760
Would you break the grip of 
sexual sin? 

961
01:15:22,480 --> 01:15:25,520
Would renew love and honor in 
every home? 

962
01:15:28,760 --> 01:15:33,480
Help parents, Lord, to disciple 
their children, help them to 

963
01:15:33,480 --> 01:15:37,840
lead and family worship, to read
and to pray and to sing the Word

964
01:15:37,840 --> 01:15:41,360
together? 
God, would you save our children

965
01:15:41,360 --> 01:15:45,560
from their sins? 
Would you call them to yourself 

966
01:15:45,560 --> 01:15:49,760
early in their life? 
Would you keep them in you, 

967
01:15:50,320 --> 01:15:53,120
protect them from the schemes of
the devil? 

968
01:15:54,880 --> 01:15:58,080
Would you guard them at school? 
Would you grow them in wisdom 

969
01:15:58,080 --> 01:16:02,080
and courage? 
Help them to carry the torch of 

970
01:16:02,080 --> 01:16:09,240
the faith into those places we 
can't go, which is the future. 

971
01:16:11,160 --> 01:16:15,040
Our lives are limited, Lord, and
so we know that one day we'll 

972
01:16:15,040 --> 01:16:20,600
breathe our last. 
So help us to be diligent and 

973
01:16:20,840 --> 01:16:25,440
vigilant. 
Help us to be faithful in 

974
01:16:25,440 --> 01:16:30,520
discipling our children. 
Father, I pray that you would 

975
01:16:30,520 --> 01:16:35,360
bring back prodigals, boys and 
girls, men and women who were 

976
01:16:35,360 --> 01:16:42,240
raised in homes that love you. 
And yet they're way worse, many 

977
01:16:42,240 --> 01:16:44,800
of which are caught up in the 
world's ideologies. 

978
01:16:44,800 --> 01:16:48,040
The very things we've talked 
about and condemned today have 

979
01:16:48,240 --> 01:16:51,560
got a hold of them. 
Lord, would you bring them back 

980
01:16:51,560 --> 01:16:53,520
to yourself? 
Would you draw them to you? 

981
01:16:53,760 --> 01:16:55,840
Would you grant them a life in 
Christ? 

982
01:16:56,600 --> 01:17:00,560
Would you forgive them of their 
sins, restore them to the face? 

983
01:17:02,840 --> 01:17:06,520
Father, would you defend the 
fatherless, defend the widows, 

984
01:17:08,880 --> 01:17:13,680
make our households little 
lighthouses of the gospel in our

985
01:17:13,680 --> 01:17:22,840
neighborhoods and city? 
Lord, we ask all these things in

986
01:17:22,840 --> 01:17:25,200
your name, Amen.