1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,400 The Christmas season comes very rapidly. 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:09,360 It leaves just as quickly. It comes and it goes. 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:14,160 And involved in the Christmas season is our time to celebrate 4 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,680 the birth of the Christ child, to focus in on the celebration 5 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:23,560 of the season. And the question comes, is that 6 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:29,440 celebration that we engage in, is it genuine or is it 7 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:36,040 superficial? Is it a real celebration or is 8 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:40,920 it a figment of our imagination? Celebration. 9 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:46,600 The celebration of Christmas doesn't end on the 25th of 10 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:49,680 December. In fact, the celebration of 11 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:55,840 Christmas is to be a perpetual celebration, a continual 12 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:01,960 celebration and ongoing celebration all throughout our 13 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,200 lives, not just during the season. 14 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:11,440 But so many of us have a seasonal celebration instead of 15 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:17,840 a perpetual celebration. So the question comes, is my 16 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:24,240 celebration of the Christmas season 1 that's genuine or 17 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,760 superficial? So let me ask you a couple of 18 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:32,920 questions. If you are more concerned about 19 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:39,080 your Christmas tree then Calvary's tree, your celebration 20 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:45,920 is a superficial celebration. If you're more concerned about 21 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:54,600 the lights on your house instead of the lights in your heart, you 22 00:01:54,600 --> 00:02:00,320 have a very superficial, shallow celebration. 23 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:07,360 If you're more concerned about what Santa will bring instead of 24 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:13,280 the savior you are to believe, you have a very superficial 25 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:18,680 celebration. In fact, if your celebration is 26 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:24,120 about me and my satisfaction instead of the Master in His 27 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:30,960 glorification, then you have a superficial celebration not just 28 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:36,080 of the season, but all throughout your life. 29 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:43,680 If you're more excited about the the gifts you receive more so 30 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:48,600 than the God you are to Revere, your celebration is a 31 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:55,160 superficial celebration. In other words, what happens in 32 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:59,560 the Christmas season is indicative of what happens 33 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:04,960 throughout the rest of my life, because there is to be a a 34 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:11,240 celebration, a a praise, a a gratefulness, a a Thanksgiving 35 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:15,200 to God. That's not season seasonal, but 36 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:20,560 perpetual. In fact, in the aftermath of the 37 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:26,680 advent or in following the festivities of the season, you 38 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:32,640 should be going more with the story than less with the story. 39 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:38,720 You should be growing more in intimacy than growing less in 40 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,600 intimacy. You should be giving more to the 41 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:46,080 ministry, not less to the ministry. 42 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:54,320 You should be guarding your testimony more than less. 43 00:03:54,880 --> 00:04:00,760 You should be guiding your family more than before. 44 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:10,280 You should be glorifying God's majesty more than before. 45 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:16,880 You see, so many times we we look at a celebration of the 46 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:21,320 season as something that's passing instead of something 47 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:25,440 that's enduring. And so I want to talk to you 48 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:30,720 this morning and next week about the perpetuity of praise. 49 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:36,680 That is why praise is to be continual, why it's to be 50 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:42,040 perpetual in your life. When you talk about perpetuity, 51 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:47,000 you're talking about a state or the quality of something that's 52 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,240 enduring. We talk about the perpetuity of 53 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,160 praise because praise is that which happens all throughout 54 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,960 eternity. The four living creatures, night 55 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:04,440 and day, from all eternity past till eternity into the future, 56 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:09,600 say the same thing over and over again. 57 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:17,840 And so because they are repeating the majestic nature of 58 00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:20,920 their God, they are overwhelmed with him. 59 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:25,400 They're involved in the the perpetuity of praise. 60 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:31,000 Well, we, as we journey along the pathway of praise, need to 61 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,600 understand how it is that this praise is to be something that's 62 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:41,480 continual every single day, every week, every month of the 63 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:44,960 year, not just during the Christmas season. 64 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,720 So we began this study a few months ago, and we're going to 65 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:53,920 continue it into the new year because we want your New year to 66 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:58,520 be filled with praise to your God. 67 00:05:59,840 --> 00:06:02,840 If you got your Bible, turn with me to Psalm 148. 68 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:08,720 Psalm 148 is a unique Psalm because there is no prayer, 69 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:12,960 there is no plea, there is no petition. 70 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:20,160 It's all about praise. It begins with Hallelujah and it 71 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:26,080 ends with Hallelujah. So to Psalm 146, one, 47149 and 72 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,800 150. They all begin with the same 73 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:35,080 phrase, praise the Lord. But Psalm 148 is is a unique 74 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:39,440 Psalm because that the psalmist isn't asking God for anything, 75 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,920 he's just praising God for who he is. 76 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:49,440 And you will note that there is to be a heavenly praise as well 77 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:54,760 as an earthly praise. You will note in the 1st 6 78 00:06:54,760 --> 00:07:01,920 verses that praise is to be done in the celestial. 79 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:08,880 In verses 7, the following praise is to be done in the 80 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:13,640 terrestrial. So you have celestial praise and 81 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:18,280 terrestrial praise, you have heavenly praise, and you have 82 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,880 earthly praise. Read along with me. 83 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:26,360 Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord from the heavens. 84 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:31,560 This is the celestial praise. Praise Him in the heights, 85 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:35,960 praise them all as angels, praise them all as hosts, Praise 86 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:40,240 Him sun and moon, Praise Him All Stars of light. 87 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:44,680 Praise Him highest heavens and the waters that are above the 88 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:48,880 heavens. Let them praise the name of the 89 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:54,200 Lord, for He commanded, and they were created. 90 00:07:55,160 --> 00:08:03,160 So there is to be heavenly beings that praise the Lord, and 91 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:08,200 there are heavenly bodies, the stars and the heavens that 92 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:11,600 praise the Lord. And then he says this. 93 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:17,000 He says He has also established them forever and ever. 94 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,240 He has made a decree which will not pass away. 95 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:27,200 For seven, praise the Lord from the earth. 96 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,480 So first he says, praise the Lord from the heavens, That's 97 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:36,080 celestial praise. Now praise the Lord from the 98 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,799 earth. That is terrestrial praise. 99 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:44,600 So he says, sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and 100 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:50,040 clouds, stormy wind fulfilling his word, mountains and all 101 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:55,080 hills, fruit trees and all Cedars, beasts and all cattle, 102 00:08:55,320 --> 00:09:00,160 creeping things and wing fowl, kings of the earth and all 103 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:04,000 peoples, Princess and all judges of the earth, both young men and 104 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:09,920 virgins, old men and children, let them praise the name of the 105 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:14,080 Lord, for His name alone is exalted. 106 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,720 His glory is above earth and heaven, and He has lifted up a 107 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:24,000 horn for his people. Praise for all his godly ones, 108 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:28,360 even the sons of Israel, a people near to him. 109 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:35,960 Hallelujah or praise the Lord. Notice the repetition of the 110 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:44,720 praise that says, Let them praise the name of the Lord. 111 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:51,120 Let them praise the nature and character of God, for He is the 112 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:55,720 Creator of all things. He is the author of all things 113 00:09:56,400 --> 00:10:00,480 and we are to be involved in the praise of God. 114 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,680 And so that emphasizes the fact that there is to be something 115 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:09,320 happening all the time. So our theme verse for the 116 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:14,680 series is Isaiah 4321, which says the people that I have 117 00:10:14,680 --> 00:10:20,920 formed for myself, they will declare my praise. 118 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:26,520 In other words, God's people will do something, they will 119 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:29,200 praise him. It's a fact. 120 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:35,480 It's what God's people do. They're involved in perpetual 121 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:39,640 praise. And so we need to understand how 122 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,920 it is I engage in that from day-to-day. 123 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:48,880 How can I go through the end of this year into a new year 124 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,600 knowing that all the things that have taken place in my life, 125 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:59,800 both negative and positive, good and bad, how do I maintain the 126 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:05,200 perpetuity of praise? How do I do that as I embark on 127 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:08,320 a a new year not knowing anything that's going to happen 128 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,280 because it's all under the sovereign plan of the living 129 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:15,560 God? But how can I in advance know 130 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:19,680 that my life is to be characterized with perpetual 131 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:27,520 praise? Remember Psalm 34 verse #1 I 132 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:31,320 will bless the Lord at all times. 133 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:40,120 Not sometimes, not good times or just good times, but all times. 134 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:45,960 His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 135 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:51,920 So somehow the psalmist knew about perpetual praise and how 136 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:56,400 it's to be continually in his mouth. 137 00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:01,920 And then you have Psalm one, O 4, verse 33. 138 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:06,600 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. 139 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:15,040 And then he says I will sing praise to my God while I have my 140 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:17,720 being. In other words, as long as I'm 141 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:21,040 alive, I'm going to praise the Lord. 142 00:12:21,560 --> 00:12:26,200 As long as I'm breathing, it's about praising the Lord, singing 143 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:29,120 praises to His name. And you got to ask yourself, is 144 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:31,120 that you? Is that me? 145 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:36,240 Is that how we live our lives? So what are the character 146 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:40,080 qualities of the person who understands the perpetuity of 147 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:42,640 praise? I'm going to give them to you 148 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,760 this week and next week #1 is this. 149 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:54,920 You must realize that His power is always available. 150 00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:05,240 His power is always available. If God commands you to do 151 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:12,280 something, he will always give you the power to accomplish it. 152 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,280 God's not going to ask you to do something and say, well, I, I 153 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,760 hope you work it out. I hope you can get your act 154 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,480 together. I, I hope this is going to be 155 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:25,400 easy for you. I know it's difficult, but 156 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:27,800 hopefully you can make it easier on yourself. 157 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:33,680 No, God makes sure that he gives you the power to accomplish 158 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:37,280 everything you need to accomplish. 159 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:43,160 God's power is absolutely unique. 160 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:47,440 It's unlike anything we ever know. 161 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:56,400 In fact, Psalm 77 verse 13 says this Your way, O God is holy, 162 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:01,920 what God is great like our God. You are the God who works 163 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:05,040 wonders. You have made known your 164 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:11,680 strength among the peoples. You have by your power redeemed 165 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:16,920 your people, the sons of God and Joseph. 166 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:24,840 Psalm 6211 says that power belongs to God. 167 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:31,200 He is called El Shaddai, the almighty God. 168 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:39,680 In fact, the Bible says in Job 9 verse #19 if it is a matter of 169 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:45,680 power, behold, God is the strong one. 170 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:55,640 Revelation 19/6 says Alleluia. For the Lord God, omnipotent 171 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,800 reigns. God is all powerful. 172 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:06,880 But sometimes I think we can, we can say that God's all powerful. 173 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:12,120 We can sing about the power of God. 174 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:19,440 We can even shout that God is powerful. 175 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:27,440 But isn't it interesting that very few people show that God is 176 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:31,960 powerful? We we live in the realm of I 177 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:35,080 can't. My mom used to always say can't 178 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:36,280 die. Good, bury them. 179 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:39,960 Does your mom used to say that? Some mom used to always say, 180 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:42,560 mom, I can't do that. She says can't die and could 181 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:44,800 bury them. In other words, you can do it, 182 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:49,400 you just don't want to do it. You choose not to do it. 183 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:55,760 We say I, I can't love this person or that person. 184 00:15:56,440 --> 00:16:00,120 Well, yes, you can. You just choose not to or you 185 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:04,400 won't. You say I can't forgive what 186 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:05,880 they've done to me. Yes, you can. 187 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:09,520 You just won't forgive that person. 188 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:14,200 You You say I can't return good for evil. 189 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,840 Well you can, you just choose not to. 190 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:23,360 Or you refuse to do what God has said. 191 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:27,880 We'll say things like I can't overcome my fear. 192 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:32,480 Yes you can, because perfect love casts out fear. 193 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:38,200 You just choose not to. I can't overcome my anxious 194 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:40,960 feelings. Yes, you can. 195 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:47,520 You've just chosen not to. You see, we, we, we don't 196 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:53,800 understand the power of God. So, so God says to his men, he 197 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:59,360 says in Acts chapter one verse #8 that the, the Holy Spirit 198 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:03,880 will come upon you and you will, you, you shall receive power, 199 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:08,200 power and you shall be my witnesses. 200 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:11,079 You're going to receive something and then you're going 201 00:17:11,079 --> 00:17:14,240 to become something. You're going to become what I 202 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:17,880 need you to be because the power that I'm going to infuse you 203 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:20,920 with, and that is the Spirit of the living God. 204 00:17:22,319 --> 00:17:26,119 And if you read the book of Acts, you see a bunch of men who 205 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:29,440 were changed drastically from the Gospels. 206 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:33,720 Why? Because the Spirit of God 207 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:39,280 indwells them, empowers them to accomplish all that God designed 208 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,560 them to accomplish. That's why they could continue 209 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:46,120 to praise the name of God, rejoice in the midst of their 210 00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:47,320 suffering. Why? 211 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:50,680 Because they were living under the power of the living God. 212 00:17:51,360 --> 00:17:56,560 So Paul tells Timothy in second Timothy one verse #7 God has not 213 00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:03,040 given you a spirit of timidity. Stop being timid, Timothy. 214 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:06,680 Stop being fearful, Timothy. Because God didn't give you that 215 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:10,560 kind of spirit. Instead, He gave you spirit of 216 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:16,080 power, of love and of self-discipline. 217 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:20,640 He gives you the the spirit that's powerful enough to help 218 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:25,000 you to love your enemies and to be able to discipline your life 219 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:30,120 to the obedience of God. You see, we can, we can speak 220 00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:33,000 about the power of God and we can sing about the power of God. 221 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:39,880 We just don't show that we are under the power of the living 222 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,920 God. Will we live as if God doesn't 223 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:47,000 even exist. We live as practical atheists as 224 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:50,040 there is as if there is no God. That I can't do what God's 225 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:53,280 called me to do. But you can because God has 226 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:57,080 equipped you with the Spirit. When you walk in the Spirit and 227 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,440 you're filled with the Spirit of God, you're able to accomplish 228 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:04,920 great things. Remember what Paul prayed in the 229 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:10,640 book of Ephesians, the first chapter Paul says, and chapter 230 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:13,760 one verse #18I pray that the eyes of your heart may be 231 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,400 enlightened so you will know what is the hope of His calling, 232 00:19:18,360 --> 00:19:20,960 What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the 233 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:26,400 Saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His 234 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:32,360 power toward us who believe? Paul says, I want you to 235 00:19:32,360 --> 00:19:36,560 understand the surpassing greatness of His power. 236 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:42,520 What kind of power? He says these are in accordance 237 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:46,640 with the working of the strength of his might, which he brought 238 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:51,600 about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him 239 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:54,520 at the right hand in the heavenly places. 240 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:57,320 It's the power of God that did that. 241 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:01,760 And my, my prayer, Paul says for you and Ephesus, is that somehow 242 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:05,640 you, your eyes will be open to the greatness of surpassing 243 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:10,440 greatness of the power of God. And if if you go to chapter 3 of 244 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:12,720 Ephesians, he says that this way verse 20. 245 00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:17,760 Now to him who was able to do far more abundantly beyond all 246 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:24,360 that we ask or think according to the power that works within 247 00:20:24,360 --> 00:20:27,640 us. It's the power of God that's 248 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:32,960 working within us. My life can be lived in a state 249 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:38,680 of perpetual praise because the power of God is always 250 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:43,520 available. It's always there, it's never 251 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:50,320 dormant. It's always available to me and 252 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,600 to you. So we can't live in the realm of 253 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:57,360 I can't do this or I can't do what God's called me to do. 254 00:20:57,520 --> 00:20:59,720 I can't do what God's commanded me to do. 255 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:01,360 I can't do. Yes, you can. 256 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:10,760 You just choose not to, or you refuse to obey what God has 257 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:16,680 said. His power is always available. 258 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:32,240 Listen to what Second Chronicles 16 says, for the eyes of the 259 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:35,840 Lord move to and fro throughout the earth, that He may 260 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:40,440 strengthen those whose heart is completely his. 261 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,720 God's whole desire is to strengthen the heart of those 262 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:49,560 that are completely his. In fact, that that's what 263 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:52,480 salvation is all about. That is the that what the new 264 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:59,360 covenant promise is all about. Listen to the words in Ezekiel 265 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:05,040 chapter 36, verse 22. Therefore say to the House of 266 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:06,640 Israel. Thus says the Lord God. 267 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:09,480 It is not for your sake, O House of Israel, that I am about to 268 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:14,000 act, but for My holy name which you have profaned among the 269 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:17,400 nations where you went. I will vindicate the holiness of 270 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:21,800 My great name which has been profaned among the nations which 271 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:23,680 you have profaned in their midst. 272 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:27,680 Then the nations will know that I am the Lord. 273 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:32,280 The Lord makes it very clear that Israel had profaned His 274 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:36,000 name among the nations. Well, the only way that can be 275 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:41,000 reversed is if God acts. And so He gives the new covenant 276 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:42,360 promise. Listen to what He says. 277 00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:47,800 He says, when I prove myself holy among you in their sight. 278 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,320 For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the 279 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:53,680 lands, and bring you into your own land. 280 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,840 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. 281 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:02,000 I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your 282 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,320 idols. Moreover, I will give you a new 283 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:06,080 heart and put a new spirit within you. 284 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:09,640 And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give 285 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:13,720 you a heart of flesh. And I will pour my spirit within 286 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:20,440 you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will be 287 00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:23,880 careful to observe my ordinances. 288 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:30,080 God says I'm going to cause you to obey me, I'm going to cause 289 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,920 you to follow me. That that's why it's incongruous 290 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:37,600 for someone to say that I love the Lord, I serve the Lord, I 291 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:41,520 believe in the Lord and continue a life of disobedience to the 292 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:45,680 Lord because the new covenant promises is that God says I will 293 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,760 put my spirit in you. It's not a spirit of timidity, 294 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:53,480 but of power and of love and of self-discipline so that you are 295 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:56,360 able to do what I've commanded you to do. 296 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:01,440 You see, God equips us for all those things so we can live the 297 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:06,080 life He's called us to live. We can honor His beautiful name. 298 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:09,160 We can live a life of perpetual praise. 299 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:14,160 Why? Because the power of God is 300 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:24,280 always available. It was Jeremiah who said in 301 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:27,680 Jeremiah 32, Ah, Lord God, behold, you have made the 302 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:32,160 heavens and the earth by your great power and by your 303 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:36,200 outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for 304 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,560 you. Verse 26 Then the word of the 305 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:43,240 Lord came to Jeremiah, say, and behold, I am the Lord, the God 306 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:47,360 of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for 307 00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:50,400 me? The answer is no. 308 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:56,160 Isaiah 40 tells us that he he never wearies, He never tires. 309 00:24:57,040 --> 00:24:59,960 God doesn't doesn't give you strength. 310 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:04,600 And then sit back and say I've got to replenish myself so I can 311 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,840 give somebody else strength. God doesn't work that way. 312 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:13,960 That way God is power, and so power is who he is. 313 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:18,760 He is He, the omnipotent God, and so he never wearies, He 314 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:20,960 never tires. So when He dispenses His 315 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:24,200 strength to His people, he doesn't have to replenish that 316 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,600 which He has dispensed because He's all powerful. 317 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,760 And so He's always made his power available to His people. 318 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:38,000 That allows you to live a life of perpetual praise, no matter 319 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,160 what the situation, no matter what the circumstance. 320 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:45,920 You can never say I can't do that because God has enabled you 321 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:49,840 to do that to the power of the Spirit of God that lives within 322 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:52,920 you. So principle number one is that 323 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:59,760 his power is always available. Principle number 2 is this. 324 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:06,200 His promises are always undeniable. 325 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:14,480 His promises are always undeniable, or you can say His 326 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:20,520 promises are always dependable, they're always reliable. 327 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:23,760 God makes a promise. He cannot lie. 328 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:30,440 He keeps His word, and therefore when He says the people that I 329 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:33,680 have formed for myself, they will declare my praise. 330 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:38,520 He tells you that it's possible to do this because it's a 331 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:45,560 promise that He's given to infuse you with His strength to 332 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:54,160 make it all possible. His His promises are undeniable. 333 00:26:55,080 --> 00:27:00,840 Second Corinthians 120 All the promises of God are yes in 334 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:06,720 Christ Jesus. All the promises of God are yes 335 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:12,280 in Christ Jesus. The promise of peace is yes in 336 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:15,040 Christ. The promise of joy is yes in 337 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:18,600 Christ. The promise of salvation is yes 338 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:20,680 in Christ. The promise of eternal life is 339 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:25,080 yes in Christ. The promise of comfort is yes in 340 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,760 Christ. Christ is the fulfilment of all 341 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:32,560 promises that That's why we encourage you throughout the 342 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:36,160 Christmas season to at least get a copy of the book The Christ of 343 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:42,280 Christmas that there are there are 333 specific promises 344 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:47,720 centered on the coming of the Messiah and only 109 of them 345 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:49,000 were fulfilled in his first coming. 346 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:53,040 That means that there are 224 yet to be fulfilled. 347 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:59,200 But of the 100 and 925 of them are here that you can read, that 348 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:02,640 you can study, that you can understand when God makes a 349 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:07,320 promise, he keeps the promise. So it's about promises foretold 350 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:10,680 and promises fulfilled. Why? 351 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:14,240 It builds your trust in what God has said. 352 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:20,240 It makes you realize how his promises are undeniable, 353 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:27,000 dependable, reliable. God always keeps his word. 354 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:31,960 Now if you were with us on on on Christmas Eve, we talked about 355 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:35,760 celebrating the light and when we looked at 9 different 356 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:39,560 characters that would help you understand how to celebrate the 357 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:42,840 light. All all Christmas characters in 358 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:46,640 the Christmas narrative. And the first one was Zacharias. 359 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:52,520 Because when the Angel Gabriel came to Zacharias, he denied the 360 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:54,600 certainty of the promises of God. 361 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:59,480 He doubted the reliability of the promises of God. 362 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,680 So what did God do? He made him deaf and dumb. 363 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:08,800 He could not hear and he could not speak for nine months. 364 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:13,280 But why would God do that? Because in order for him to 365 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:17,200 understand the promises of God, he's a priest. 366 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:21,960 What a priest do they instruct people in the promises of God. 367 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,160 They instruct people in terms of how to know their God. 368 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:30,760 But if the priest doubts the promises of God, the people will 369 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:34,920 doubt the promises of God. So God said, you can't speak, 370 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,560 you can't hear for nine months because what you're going to do 371 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:40,360 is you're going to focus in on the promises that I've given 372 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:41,880 you. So you know this because you 373 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:46,800 when you read Zacharias's song, it's all about the praise of Old 374 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:51,080 Testament promises. He is now praising God because 375 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:55,720 the promises on how the sunrise will rise now that the Messiah 376 00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:59,400 is coming, the light to the revelation, the light of 377 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:04,800 revelation to the Gentiles is now dawning on the people in 378 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:06,760 this country. God is doing the work. 379 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:13,040 He's fulfilling His promises, but God put him in isolation to 380 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:19,080 focus in on the promises because he could not afford to continue 381 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:25,240 to deny the certainty and the reliability of the promises of 382 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:29,840 God. You see, we forget that when God 383 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:39,480 makes a promise, He keeps it. So God says, you know that all 384 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:42,920 things work together for good to those who love God and are 385 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:47,520 called according to His purpose. The promise is this, that no 386 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:52,280 matter what has happened in your life, good or bad, God is 387 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:57,800 bringing them all together to bring about ultimately you're 388 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:02,280 good and His glory. That's a promise. 389 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:07,160 Now, in the midst of certain situations, we don't understand 390 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:10,400 the goodness that's there. It's like at Christmas time when 391 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,080 you begin to bake cookies, right? 392 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:16,240 And you get all the ingredients out to bake the cookies. 393 00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:22,520 Tasting each ingredient by itself may or may not taste 394 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:24,520 good. For instance, if you take the 395 00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:27,400 sugar, you taste it, it's sweet, it's good. 396 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,840 You take the cinnamon, you taste it, it's sweet, It's good. 397 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:35,240 If you take the dough by itself before it's cooked and tasted, 398 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:39,240 not so good. If you take the flour and you 399 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:44,360 put in your mouth, not so good. But when it's all been baked in 400 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:47,640 the oven and it comes out, it tastes all so good. 401 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:50,440 Why? Because once you put all the 402 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:54,080 ingredients together, you realize that what comes out is 403 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:57,160 something that's good and tasteful. 404 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:03,000 God is in the process of baking cookies in your life. 405 00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:05,800 He's in the process of taking everything that's good, 406 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:10,080 everything that's bad. Put it together so that because 407 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:13,280 you've been called according to His purposes, these things will 408 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:17,360 work out together for your good. Because God will be glorified. 409 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:21,640 That's what God's doing. That's the promises of God. 410 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:27,560 Listen to what Peter says in first Peter chapter chapter 5 411 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:33,840 verse #10 he says the God of all grace, who called you to his 412 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:40,160 eternal glory will himself. OK, Now remember he says in 413 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:43,680 verse early in verse 10, after you've suffered for a little 414 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:49,280 while, the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory 415 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:52,120 in Christ will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and 416 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,920 establish you to Him be dominion forever and ever. 417 00:32:55,920 --> 00:32:58,840 Amen. God is going to allow you to 418 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:03,640 suffer for a little while, not forever, but for a little while. 419 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:08,600 And what God is going to do is that He is going to absolutely 420 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:12,800 perfect you. And it is tie all the loose ends 421 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:17,720 together, bring that which is lacking into your life so your 422 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:21,920 life will be fulfilled. He's going to perfect you and 423 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:27,640 then He's going to confirm you or establish you. 424 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:31,120 He's going to make you a solid as granite. 425 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:35,800 And then on top of that, He is going to strengthen you. 426 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:41,680 He's going to feel you with strength and then He's going to 427 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:44,600 settle you. He's going to lay a firm 428 00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:49,320 foundation in your life. That's the promise that God 429 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:54,120 gives after you've suffered for a little while, not forever, but 430 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:57,080 for a little while, God is doing something that's going to 431 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:01,280 perfect, establish, confirm, and settle you so that you become 432 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:05,520 the person God wants you to be. That's a promise that God has 433 00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:08,320 given. That's what God's doing. 434 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:13,920 You might not see it today. You may not see it tomorrow, but 435 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:16,600 all those things are going to work together for good because 436 00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:18,120 you love God. They're called according to His 437 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:20,560 purpose. And so He's going to establish 438 00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:25,239 you, strengthen you, confirm you, restore you, make you to 439 00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:28,440 the kind of person that He wants you to be for His glory and for 440 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:31,880 His honor. That's a promise that God gives. 441 00:34:32,639 --> 00:34:37,000 He says in John 14, My peace I give unto you, not as the world 442 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:40,000 gives give unto you, but My peace I give unto you. 443 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:44,639 I'm going to give you my peace in, in, in John 1511, He says, 444 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:48,800 I've spoken these things unto you that your joy may be made 445 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:53,880 full because I want you to experience my joy. 446 00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:58,520 Christ says, and so I'm going to promise you joy. 447 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:01,840 I'm going to give you my joy. I'm going to promise you peace. 448 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:05,400 I'm going to give you my peace. I'm going to promise you comfort 449 00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:08,080 because I'm going to give you another comforter, one that will 450 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:11,160 be called alongside of you, one that will live inside of you. 451 00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:15,480 All those things are promises by the true and living God. 452 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:21,960 His promises are undeniable. So I can live a life of 453 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:27,400 perpetual praise because I know His power is available and His 454 00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:31,000 promises are undeniable. So I can praise Him for what 455 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:36,080 He's doing and what He's going to do in my life. 456 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:40,920 He was 13 five. He says I will never leave you, 457 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:46,440 nor will I ever forsake you. Wow. 458 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:51,360 No human being can say that. Only the living God can say 459 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:54,320 that. Only the living God can say I 460 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:56,280 will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you. 461 00:35:57,040 --> 00:36:02,600 I am here with you forever. So that leads us to our Third 462 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:05,440 Point. If His power is always 463 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:09,280 available, His promises are always undeniable. 464 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:15,880 That means His presence is absolutely unavoidable. 465 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:24,600 His presence is unavoidable. There's no place you can go 466 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,120 that's outside of God's presence. 467 00:36:28,560 --> 00:36:34,120 And because His presence is unavoidable, perpetual praise 468 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:39,560 can happen because it all depends on the true and living 469 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:43,920 God. Remember Jonah when he tried to 470 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:48,280 flee from the Lord's presence? What was he thinking? 471 00:36:49,240 --> 00:36:52,480 They could get on a boat and go the opposite direction, thinking 472 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:58,600 that God is not on the boat or in the sea or present among him. 473 00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:01,640 We, we, we tend to think that way. 474 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:06,320 I can hide from God. You can't hide from God. 475 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:09,480 He's everywhere. He knows everything. 476 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:15,200 He sees everything. Listen to to Jeremiah chapter 477 00:37:15,720 --> 00:37:22,920 23, Jeremiah 23 verse 23 am IA. God who is near declares the 478 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:25,800 Lord. And not a God far off. 479 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:28,960 Can a man hide himself in hiding places? 480 00:37:29,240 --> 00:37:31,760 So I do not see him, declares the Lord. 481 00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:37,520 Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? 482 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:42,600 Declares the Lord. He fills everything. 483 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:51,680 His presence is absolutely unavoidable. 484 00:37:53,520 --> 00:38:02,320 Now again, if you were with us on Christmas Eve, we talked to 485 00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:06,280 you about the very last phrase in the book of Ezekiel. 486 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:15,680 Very last phrase is Yahweh Shama, the Lord is near. 487 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:20,400 That's important to the prophecy of Ezekiel because Ezekiel would 488 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:24,400 see the glory of the Lord depart from the temple. 489 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:27,760 He would receive this vision of God's presence. 490 00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:31,720 That's why Ichabod was written. The crossed Israel, meaning the 491 00:38:31,720 --> 00:38:34,400 Lord has departed. Why? 492 00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:37,040 Because the glory of the Lord, which is the presence of God 493 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:39,320 manifested in brilliant light, had departed. 494 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:42,120 He saw it leave the temple, leave through the eastern gate, 495 00:38:42,240 --> 00:38:45,360 send up the Mount of Olives, and disappear into the Judean 496 00:38:45,360 --> 00:38:48,600 wilderness. Because the presence of God had 497 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:51,160 had departed from the people of God. 498 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:53,280 Not. Not that God wasn't there. 499 00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:57,000 It's just that the active movement of God in and among his 500 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,640 people was no longer going to happen. 501 00:38:59,640 --> 00:39:02,000 He was going to leave them in isolation in Babylonian 502 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:09,160 captivity, but the promise was this that one day the Lord will 503 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:15,680 be there Yave Shema, the Lord is there, the Lord is present. 504 00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:18,320 The glory of the Lord is going to return. 505 00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:21,480 And so at Christmas time when the glory of the Lord would 506 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:24,720 shine all around the shepherds that that would mean that the 507 00:39:24,720 --> 00:39:28,480 presence of God was was returning right. 508 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:33,840 And so John would say, And the Word became flesh and dwelt 509 00:39:33,840 --> 00:39:40,200 among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only 510 00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:42,680 begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 511 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:45,000 John says we beheld the glory of God. 512 00:39:45,240 --> 00:39:48,080 The promise is Yahweh, Shema. The Lord is there. 513 00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:52,560 The Lord came, the Lord has arrived, but Israel did not see 514 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:56,800 Him as such. In fact, every year Israel 515 00:39:56,800 --> 00:40:00,720 celebrates the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Tabernacles. 516 00:40:01,240 --> 00:40:03,640 Where they go out in their backyard and they build with 517 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:07,840 these stats roofs and they live in the backyard or in the 518 00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:13,520 wilderness somewhere somehow for a week so that they can identify 519 00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:20,760 with their forefathers who in the wilderness experience the 520 00:40:20,760 --> 00:40:26,520 presence of the living God and His glory in anticipation of the 521 00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:33,040 time in which God will once again live among them, be 522 00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:36,640 present among them, that the Lord will actually be there 523 00:40:36,640 --> 00:40:38,840 among them. Now they missed it when He came 524 00:40:38,840 --> 00:40:42,000 the first time that they understood that God would be 525 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:45,080 above them, that the Lord is in the heavens, He does whatever He 526 00:40:45,080 --> 00:40:48,520 pleases. They knew that that that God 527 00:40:48,520 --> 00:40:53,080 would would someday come to dwell with them. 528 00:40:53,080 --> 00:40:56,880 They knew Isaiah 714 that you should call His name Emmanuel, 529 00:40:56,920 --> 00:41:01,400 meaning God with us. They understood that, but they 530 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:05,120 didn't understand that God would be in us. 531 00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:08,880 That's the fulfillment of Colossians 127, which was a 532 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:12,560 mystery, a mystery concealing the old, but revealed in the 533 00:41:12,560 --> 00:41:15,280 new. And that is that God would 534 00:41:15,280 --> 00:41:18,800 actually not just dwell among us, He'd actually live on the 535 00:41:18,800 --> 00:41:21,080 inside of us. And the only way he could do 536 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:25,760 that is because God gave his only begotten Son, and God gave 537 00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:28,440 us his Son so that God could dwell within us. 538 00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:32,520 And if God is in US, God is for us and of God's force, who can 539 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:34,760 be against us? See that? 540 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:39,560 And so everything was was about the the unavoidable presence of 541 00:41:39,560 --> 00:41:43,920 the living God, that God is going to dwell in his people. 542 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:47,320 He's going to walk among his people, and he is going to use 543 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:56,240 his people for his glory. Therefore, His people will live 544 00:41:56,280 --> 00:42:02,600 a life of perpetual praise because His presence is 545 00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:11,920 absolutely unavoidable. His power is always available 546 00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:20,320 and to understand that His promises are absolutely 547 00:42:22,080 --> 00:42:27,680 undeniable, listen to what Psalm 75 one says. 548 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:37,120 We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks for your name is 549 00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:42,640 near. That is your nature, your 550 00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:49,560 character, your person. Who you are is near to us. 551 00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:55,960 That that's how you live a life of perpetual praise. 552 00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:01,520 To understand the promises of God, to understand the power of 553 00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:06,600 God, to understand the presence of God enables you to praise his 554 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:10,200 glorious name. That God is doing great things 555 00:43:10,200 --> 00:43:14,040 in and among us, in and among you and your family. 556 00:43:15,160 --> 00:43:19,440 God is not going to desert you. God is not going to leave you. 557 00:43:20,240 --> 00:43:22,480 God's always going to be present among you. 558 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:25,280 Why? Because God wants you to lean 559 00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:28,160 completely and totally upon him. He wants you to. 560 00:43:28,280 --> 00:43:30,920 He wants to walk you through those difficult times. 561 00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:33,680 That's why Psalmist said even though I walk through the valley 562 00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:35,520 of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. 563 00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:37,680 Why? Because thou art with me. 564 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:40,480 Thy rod and the staff, they comfort me. 565 00:43:40,680 --> 00:43:43,680 David knew that. Do we know that? 566 00:43:45,400 --> 00:43:49,400 So instead of talking about the power of God and singing about 567 00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:54,560 the power of God, how about we show the power of God is always 568 00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:58,320 available in our lives, in our interaction with our family, 569 00:43:59,160 --> 00:44:02,720 with the people at work. They would see that we can, we 570 00:44:02,720 --> 00:44:06,360 can sacrifice on their behalf. We can love on their behalf. 571 00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:09,480 We can demonstrate the peace of God on their behalf. 572 00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:13,240 We can return good for evil on their behalf for the glory of 573 00:44:13,240 --> 00:44:13,800 God. Why? 574 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:16,760 Because the power of God's available, it's there. 575 00:44:17,720 --> 00:44:23,400 And that his, his promises, His promises are undeniable. 576 00:44:24,200 --> 00:44:26,200 He will fulfill every one of them in your heart. 577 00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:30,160 Because all the promises are yes in Christ Jesus. 578 00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:35,240 And the way you are secure and all that is because His presence 579 00:44:35,240 --> 00:44:41,680 is absolutely unavoidable. You can't get away from the 580 00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:44,040 Lord. You might feel he's far away, or 581 00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:46,840 you might think he's far away, but he is not. 582 00:44:47,720 --> 00:44:50,960 The Lord is near to all those who call upon him. 583 00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:58,280 To all those who call upon him. In truth, God is always, always 584 00:44:58,680 --> 00:45:03,160 there because He's Yahweh. Shema, let's pray together. 585 00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:06,400 Father, we thank you for today. We thank you for this chance to 586 00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:08,640 spend a brief moment in the Word of God. 587 00:45:08,640 --> 00:45:10,760 We thank you for the things you've taught us this year. 588 00:45:11,120 --> 00:45:14,240 We anticipate what you'll teach us in the new year and pray that 589 00:45:14,240 --> 00:45:18,000 we take these principles with us that we might live a life of 590 00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:24,320 perpetual praise to the glory and honor of you, our King, in 591 00:45:24,480 --> 00:45:26,360 Jesus name, Amen.