1 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:05,960 Welcome to the Liberty Baptist Sermon Archives. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,040 The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist 3 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:13,040 Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:17,280 or contact us at my libertybaptist.org or just look 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,760 us up on Facebook. And now we hope that this 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,040 message from God's Word will be a blessing to you. 7 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,240 At this time, if you're in Psalm chapter 63, I want to preach a 8 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,040 message the Lord's given and the message Lord has for us out of 9 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,000 Psalm chapter 63 just from verses 1 and 2. 10 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:42,240 This is a passage I asked the Lord to give me as a theme verse 11 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:47,120 to a theme passage just to pray over and and and claim vision 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,280 for the deputation season that my wife and I are in. 13 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,440 And as I was thinking about the Navajo Reservation and it being 14 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:58,560 desert and not just physically but spiritually a desert, I just 15 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,080 started searching through the different passages that talk 16 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,800 about that. And it came to this passage in 17 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,760 Psalms where David writes this song in a really interesting 18 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:09,600 time in his life. And if you look in verse one 19 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,320 there, he says in a dry and thirsty land where no water is. 20 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:15,960 But verse 2, he wants to see God's power and his glory, to 21 00:01:15,960 --> 00:01:19,080 see thy power and thy glory. He says So I'm so thankful that 22 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,560 the Lord is powerful and that He knows what's in store on the 23 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:24,920 reservation in this place that desperately needs him, and that 24 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,360 He's allowed me to go. We'll go ahead and read and then 25 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:30,120 pray. Psalm chapter 63, verses one and 26 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:33,160 two. O God, thou art my God. 27 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:37,440 Early will I seek thee. My soul thirsteth for thee, my 28 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:41,480 flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water 29 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:43,360 is. To see thy. 30 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,600 Power and thy glory. So as I have seen thee in the 31 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,000 sanctuary, let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for 32 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,840 this day, Lord, for the opportunity to meet together 33 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,920 and, and sing praises to you, Lord in worship and pray and, 34 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:57,720 and Lord that I get to open up your word. 35 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,920 I pray, Lord, that our hearts would be willing, Lord, our ears 36 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,760 would be listening and that Lord, you would speak to us. 37 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,080 And I'm so thankful that we can come together and I can present 38 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,440 this ministry that you've given and ask these things in Jesus 39 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:14,000 name, Amen. I'm curious if you look back to 40 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:19,160 the top of the chapter there and my Bible has a little quote at 41 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,160 the top or a description and just raise your hand if you have 42 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,240 it as well. I believe it's in most it just 43 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:28,400 says this describing note. It says a Psalm of David when he 44 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:30,760 was in the wilderness of Judah. I'm curious if you have that as 45 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,800 well. I recently was hearing my pastor 46 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,400 preach out of Psalm, I think 112 but he was preaching in Psalms 47 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,280 and talking about how the Lord's preserved his word for us and, 48 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,320 and we have the word of God. And and then he started talking 49 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:47,320 about how a unique aspect where in in the Psalms, there's 50 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,880 sometimes instructions about the music and, and David would have 51 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,240 written the Psalm or ASAP or another person and would say 52 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,120 something like to the chief musician to Jettathan a Psalm of 53 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:58,200 David. And we believe those things are, 54 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:01,080 are accurate. They may not be specifically the 55 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:03,560 what David wrote, but it's an interesting aspect. 56 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:05,840 Of course, there's other parts in the Bible sometimes where 57 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,960 they have a description like when David kills Goliath or the 58 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,360 defeating of the 5000. That's just a comment and it's 59 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,840 not part of the text that the Lord's given us. 60 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:16,280 But this section here is an interesting just description 61 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:19,680 that gives us a clue about what's going on in in this 62 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:21,600 chapter. And if we look at verse one, 63 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:23,440 David writing this song, he says. 64 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,800 He's thirsting for God in a dry and thirsty land where no water 65 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:31,080 is. Then if you look down at verse 66 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:35,800 9, he says, But those that seek my soul to destroy it shall. 67 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:37,480 Go into the lower parts of the earth. 68 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:40,480 It sounds like he's in danger. Someone's out to kill him. 69 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:45,080 And then verse 11, we see he says, but the king shall rejoice 70 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:47,400 in God. Everyone that swearth by him 71 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:49,960 shall glory, but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be 72 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:52,400 stopped. And I believe David is writing 73 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,560 this and you can tell he's the king at this point speaking 74 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:56,600 about himself. But the king shall rejoice in 75 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:58,040 God. And we started to paint this 76 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,880 picture, see this picture painted that he's probably in a 77 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:04,520 literal dry land, a thirsty land, a physical location. 78 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,400 He's not just singing about something in his in poetry to 79 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,800 the Lord, and people are seeking to destroy him. 80 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,280 And he's king at this time. And of the two time periods in 81 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:17,839 David's life when we know he was on the run, one being when he 82 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:20,959 was serving under Saul and, and Saul had thrown javelins at him. 83 00:04:20,959 --> 00:04:23,640 And and he he at one point in time he was hiding in a Bush. 84 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,800 And he said to Jonathan, we agree on this sign. 85 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:30,000 If you shoot the arrows beyond then I know, I know I have to 86 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:31,400 get out of here because it's not safe. 87 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:33,880 And he had been in hiding. And so it during that time 88 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,840 period before he was king, King Saul was out to get him. 89 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:40,040 He knew that David was anointed. He knew that the people's hearts 90 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:42,000 were after him. They said Saul has slain his 91 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,200 thousands, but David has 10 thousands. 92 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,520 And Saul had had tried to kill him and chase him through 93 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:49,720 caverns. And there are many psalms that 94 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:53,200 we have written during that time period of David's life where he, 95 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,480 he's on the run and he's in, in caves and caverns and the Lord 96 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:59,720 preserves him and protects him and he praises God in the midst 97 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,880 of those, which is pretty amazing to see David just 98 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:05,520 encouraging himself in the Lord and praising God during that 99 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:08,880 time period. The other time is when his own 100 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:11,960 son, Absalom has turned the hearts of the people against him 101 00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:15,200 and, and Absalom is willing to kill him and, and they're, 102 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:19,520 they're at war and Absalom even sneaks, he gets into the palace 103 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:22,720 and he and he defiles David's name. 104 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,040 And so during that time period, I believe is the time period 105 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:29,080 that he's writing this. Song and what's amazing to see 106 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,480 then. Is that if you just put yourself 107 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,560 in his shoes for a second and imagine somebody that close to 108 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:37,520 you, like your own son or daughter, a family member is out 109 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:40,360 to willing to kill you and take everything you have and is run 110 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:43,760 you out of the place that you call home for David, in this 111 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,000 case the palace, and he's on the run. 112 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,920 And just imagine how much of a trial and challenge that is. 113 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,440 I believe this is what the Lord wants us to see and, and, and to 114 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:54,920 learn from David's reaction in the song that he writes. 115 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,200 The amazing thing is that the Psalm David writes is more about 116 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:02,440 his desire for God and his praise to God at all than it is 117 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,640 about his problem. So I'm, that's amazing because 118 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,040 how many of you say, yeah, if that was happening, I think I'd 119 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:10,600 write a song of praise to God that way like David. 120 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:13,280 I that's not my reaction, not normally. 121 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:16,680 So if we just look at this for a second and see as he's, this is 122 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:18,880 what's happening, we believe, but he's praising the Lord. 123 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,080 He says he's desiring God. God, thou art my God. 124 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,160 Early will I seek Thee. My soul thirsteth, my flesh 125 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:27,640 longeth. He says to see thy power and thy 126 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,480 glory in verse two. Look at verse 3 and 4. 127 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:32,720 Because a loving kindness is better than life. 128 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,480 My lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless Thee. 129 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,000 While I live, I will lift up my hands in Thy name. 130 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:41,760 My soul shall be. Satisfied when verse 6, when I 131 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,320 remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night 132 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:46,800 watches, because thou has been my help. 133 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:49,280 Therefore, in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 134 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,480 He keeps just going on and on. My soul falleth hard after thee 135 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:54,200 might thy right hand upholdeth me. 136 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,200 He's seeking after God, he's praising God, he's desiring God. 137 00:06:57,600 --> 00:06:59,720 And then we get to verse 9 and that's when he finally says 138 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,480 something about his situation with people trying to, to seek 139 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:05,280 after him, right and destroy him. 140 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:08,520 So I, this is amazing to see that in the midst of this time 141 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:10,240 where he's on the run for his life. 142 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,800 And no doubt it's a very challenging and and sad time for 143 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:15,640 him. Even it's part of his 144 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:20,600 consequences from killing Uriah the Hittite and and taking his 145 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:22,200 wife, committing adultery with Bathsheba. 146 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,200 And he knows that he, he writes this song of praise and worship 147 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:30,320 and seeking after God. So this is a challenge for us 148 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:34,080 because this is this is only a reaction you can have as a as a 149 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:38,600 Christian, as a believer in God, as a someone being spirit LED. 150 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:43,520 I just want to indicate from that a challenge that, for lack 151 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:45,800 of a better phrase, he had his priorities straight. 152 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:51,240 James says to the believers that we're going through trial in 153 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,960 their lives to count it all joy. He says brethren that are 154 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:56,800 scattered abroad greeting. He says, My brethren, count it 155 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:00,520 all joy when you fall into divers temptations when testing 156 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:02,880 comes. Count it all joy, he goes on to 157 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:05,400 say, knowing this, that the trial of your faith worketh 158 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,440 patience, that endurance, right? That we can be patient through 159 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:12,920 something, but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be 160 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,520 perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 161 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:20,040 So he's the Lord's using me to teach us this idea that when 162 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:22,560 we're going through these times of testing in life that the Lord 163 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:25,040 allows, we ought to count it all joy. 164 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:28,280 And David said, rejoice, and he bless God's name and lift up his 165 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:30,880 hands, right? We'd ought to count it all joy 166 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:34,760 because we know these testings actually help us become a 167 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:38,400 perfect or a mature Christian more of who God wants us to be. 168 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:43,120 Peter says about these things wherein ye greatly rejoice, 169 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,600 though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through 170 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:49,960 manifold temptations. He says that the trial of your 171 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,560 faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, 172 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:56,640 though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and 173 00:08:56,640 --> 00:08:59,640 honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. 174 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:01,680 It'll be worth it all in the end in heaven. 175 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:03,920 God hasn't missed what you're going through. 176 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:08,560 He sees these things, he says. Whom having not seen Jesus. 177 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:11,760 You love, and whom, though now you see Him not yet believing, 178 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:15,920 you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the 179 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:18,840 end of your faith, even the salvation of your. 180 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:22,720 Souls David says he's rejoicing and lifting his hands. 181 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:27,640 James, he says to count it all. Joy, Peter says about these 182 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:29,840 trials. Joy unspeakable and full of 183 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,560 glory. The people James was talking to 184 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:34,600 and Peter, I think they were actually in a time of 185 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:38,320 persecution. And this is what the Lord tells 186 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:43,680 us it presents to us as the way to respond is to rejoice and to 187 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,920 to count it all joy and, and to lift our hands in God's name. 188 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:49,240 I don't know about you, but that's pretty amazing. 189 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:51,840 I mean, I, I don't, I can't do that without God's help. 190 00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:56,160 But what the Lord wants us to see, I believe in the first part 191 00:09:56,160 --> 00:10:00,520 of this here from David's example in Psalms chapter 63, is 192 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:02,320 simply that he had a desire for God. 193 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,800 David had a desire for God. He says, O God and verse one 194 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:10,040 that were my God early will I seek thee. 195 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:13,040 I mean that's a really great sentence right there, right or 196 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:15,560 compound sentence. I'm so glad tonight that I know 197 00:10:15,560 --> 00:10:18,000 who God is right and I can talk to him like David. 198 00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:21,560 I think about the the religions around the world, Buddhism. 199 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:24,440 And thinks that they're God is just part of the universe or or 200 00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:27,600 Islam that there's a God called Allah that you have to appease 201 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,880 him with these brutal acts and maybe you'll get to heaven. 202 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:35,160 The God of Catholicism, the false gods really, and, and the, 203 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:38,640 the ways you have to do your own works to, to hope and pay for 204 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:41,360 them in purgatory. All these world systems, the 205 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:45,120 Navajo, they teach that the main deity of their religion, the 206 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:48,320 traditionalism is the one who pulls the sun across the sky on 207 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:50,440 his back. But no, no, no, we know that the 208 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:52,640 Lord said in the beginning, let there be light. 209 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,200 He said, let there be a greater light to rule the day, a lesser 210 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:57,840 light to rule the night. And, and he said he made the 211 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:00,040 stars also, right. We can't forget that part. 212 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,680 But people around the world think these different things. 213 00:11:02,680 --> 00:11:05,880 The Navajo thinking this man pulls the sun across the sky, 214 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:09,320 that these animals are good omens, bad omens, that there's 215 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:12,560 certain taboos and ways you can't walk around their circular 216 00:11:12,560 --> 00:11:16,040 Hut, octagonal Hut, the Hogan. They don't live in a teepee. 217 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:18,680 They live in a, a Hut called the Hogan, the traditional home. 218 00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:20,800 Many of you would live in a mobile home as well. 219 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,240 Now, they might have more than one even they use them 220 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:26,880 differently than us, but traditional home, a center point 221 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:30,280 of their traditionalism. It's called the Hogan. 222 00:11:30,680 --> 00:11:34,600 It's made out of Thatcher mud or timber, but it's circular to 223 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:38,840 represent the sun. It always face E as a man that 224 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:41,520 enters it or as a woman that enters it, especially depending 225 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:45,080 upon whose hogon it is, whether that's a man's hogon or a 226 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:48,440 woman's hogon, say, if they're married, they have to enter it 227 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:49,960 certain ways and, and do these things. 228 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:53,720 And, and it's all about living this walk of life called the 229 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:57,560 beauty way or, or keeping a balance with the good and evil 230 00:11:57,560 --> 00:11:59,960 that exists in earth. And they're really walking in 231 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:03,080 darkness, trying to find answers for their, their needs in life. 232 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,440 And and meanwhile, David here, who knows the true God knows 233 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:08,680 exactly in this great hard time of his life. 234 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,560 He can go directly to him and say, Oh God, thou art my God as 235 00:12:12,560 --> 00:12:14,480 a Christian here tonight. You might be going through a 236 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:16,920 challenging time. I I don't know and probably your 237 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:19,240 church members would know your brothers and sisters in Christ 238 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:22,360 might have a better idea than I do in your pastor and maybe just 239 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:25,680 only you and the Lord know. But he's given us places like 240 00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:29,760 this in Scripture to show us how we can respond in situations of 241 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,640 life that come. So we see number one that David 242 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:35,760 had a desire for God, and he says early, will I seek thee? 243 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:37,960 He. Goes on to say my soul thirsteth 244 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:41,200 for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land 245 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:43,960 where no water is. When he says my soul thirsteth, 246 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,320 my flesh longeth. Another thing I heard my pastors 247 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:48,600 say is he was preaching about Psalms. 248 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,920 Is the difference in their songs a Hebrew poetry from Mars? 249 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,480 We sang hymns and they had rhythm and rhyme at the end of 250 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:57,560 phrases. Many times with Hebrew poetry, 251 00:12:57,560 --> 00:13:00,040 they're not concerned about rhythm like that, or rhyme. 252 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:02,880 But they'll use restatement, they'll use repetition, they'll 253 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:04,840 use contrast. And what David is just saying 254 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:07,840 here very clearly, and I'd probably been passionate. 255 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:10,760 He's saying, Lord, my soul of thirsteth my flesh longethly, my 256 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:12,400 whole person is seeking after you. 257 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:13,840 I'm not seeking after you partway. 258 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:18,600 I'm fully seeking after you. I find it funny as a young man, 259 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:22,680 I would read parts of the Psalms and and think, you know, I still 260 00:13:22,680 --> 00:13:24,320 think girls have cooties and all these things. 261 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,240 I'd be like, I don't know if I talk to God like that, that that 262 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:30,040 sounds weird to me or that kind of makes me uncomfortable. 263 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,320 I've never said it that way before. 264 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:36,960 But of course we know David was not a non masculine man. 265 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:40,680 He was quite manly, a man of war and and living in the caves with 266 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:44,400 his band of mighty men as a as a young man, he he slew Goliath 267 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:47,920 and and he smote him and he slew him by stealing his sword and 268 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:50,480 cutting off his own head or Goliath's head. 269 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:53,640 So he's obviously quite, quite a manly there. 270 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:55,560 But he's willing to say this to God. 271 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:59,200 And if we're uncomfortable by these things, sometimes we think 272 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,200 maybe, oh, this belongs in a story book or a Princess story, 273 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:03,600 maybe in a Hallmark movie, right? 274 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:05,880 Who doesn't live a no, I don't like the Hallmark movie either. 275 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:10,400 But we we liked it. We're used to seeing these types 276 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:12,760 of language and those types of places. 277 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:18,480 But what we see from David is that he says, God, I love you, 278 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:20,840 Lord, you're my God. I'm seeking with my whole 279 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:22,960 person. I am thirsting after you. 280 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:26,840 He has a desire, it's pretty clear, just a simple idea. 281 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:30,480 David had a desire for God, and we ought to have that at all 282 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,360 times. Of course, in times of the 283 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:36,640 trials, for many of us, I think it, it can make it easier 284 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:38,800 because we know we need Him sometimes. 285 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,040 Of course, we can have a reaction of bitterness or 286 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:44,760 confusion and doubt, and instead that can cause a relationship 287 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:48,280 with the Lord to hurt instead. But of course, what God can do 288 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:50,280 is use those things if we allow Him to. 289 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:53,840 To draw us closer to him. And so he had this desire for 290 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:56,560 God and he says early, will I seek thee? 291 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:00,720 I'm standing in a room of mixed ages. 292 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:04,080 And no doubt some are morning people, some are night owls. 293 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:06,120 Personally, I'm more of a morning person. 294 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:08,680 And so some of you say, son, I've been up. 295 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:12,160 I'm up every morning at this time or I have my prayer time at 296 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:14,440 night. And at whatever time it is, 297 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,240 David is saying, and this is a challenge for us, Lord, I'm 298 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:18,800 going to seek you early first thing. 299 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:20,960 It doesn't just have to be first thing in the morning. 300 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:25,400 He also says when I remember thee on my bed and meditate on 301 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,120 the in the night watches he's he's showing how he has this 302 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:31,080 desire for God and I don't know if he's talking about his bed at 303 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:32,640 home or his bed out in the desert. 304 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:35,680 Maybe one of his mighty men took a bed out there for him, some 305 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:37,680 kind of bedding. I don't know where he just slept 306 00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:39,160 on the rocks. He probably been decently 307 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,800 comfortable as the man that he was, but he says, Lord, I have 308 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:44,480 the desire for you, that it doesn't matter if it's morning 309 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:47,080 or evening time. And we get this testimony first 310 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,520 thing when we wake up or first thing at the time signs of 311 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:52,200 trouble. First thing at the good times, 312 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:54,200 first thing that the victory say, Lord, I'm going to seek you 313 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:56,680 and I know I need you and to rely upon him. 314 00:15:57,600 --> 00:15:59,440 We ought to do that just as David did. 315 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:02,800 And notice that he says in a dry and thirsty land. 316 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:05,800 And I believe he's referring to his literal physical situation. 317 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:09,720 No doubt he could use something as just a picture of his thirst. 318 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:14,200 But at this time period, having run away from Absalom, I believe 319 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:16,840 he was running east and the wilderness of Judah. 320 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:19,480 There's the welder, I believe it's called Elim. 321 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:22,440 It would be divided. This area would be divided from 322 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:25,360 where the palace was in Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. 323 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:28,040 And it's, I mean, the Dead Sea is a Dead Sea for a reason. 324 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,720 It's so dry out there. It's just dry earth and, and 325 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:33,160 sand and minerals. And so he's out there in this 326 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:35,680 place, high country. I think there's valleys, there's 327 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:40,800 places where the dry land would be washed into rivets or ravines 328 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:44,720 from the, the rainy season. And these, these they're not 329 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:46,880 creeks, but they're called washes or wadis. 330 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,280 And, and he's just out in this place where there's no water, 331 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:53,000 where no water is thirsting for the Lord, and he just sinks with 332 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:54,160 the Lord. I need you and I have that 333 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:57,600 thirst for you. And also, physically speaking, 334 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,760 he was away from the palace. He was away from the Tabernacle. 335 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:02,400 And we'll skip ahead just a little bit. 336 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:06,119 In verse 2, he says he's wanting to see God's power and his glory 337 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,000 like he had seen it in the sanctuary. 338 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:11,480 He's referring to the Tabernacle there, the place where the Ark 339 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,560 of the Covenant would be probably at this time in his 340 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:18,440 life as king after Solomon. This time with Solomon, he would 341 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,200 have already brought the Ark of the Covenant. 342 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,480 And, and this is really significant event in Israel's 343 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:26,760 history because it had been stolen by the Egyptian, I mean, 344 00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:29,680 the Philistines, excuse me, the Philistines defeated them in 345 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:32,480 battle and stole it. And eventually the ark stayed in 346 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:36,840 the House of Obed Edom. So David himself eventually was 347 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:40,120 able to successfully bring the ark to Shiloh in Israel. 348 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,440 And he was able to have the ark of the covenant there that that 349 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:47,560 physical ark of the testimony that signified God's presence 350 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:49,040 where God would meet with Israel. 351 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:51,960 And you and I, we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts. 352 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:54,360 And that's a really significant thing that sometimes we might 353 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:59,280 not realize we the promises were we get better promises Hebrews 354 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:01,880 talks about than the prophets and the things that we get to 355 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:06,360 see the prophets and the kings desire to look into that we 356 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:09,400 could experience now. But as David, most people would 357 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:13,040 not get to have the Holy Spirit ever in their life in a special 358 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:14,480 way. David had times where the spear 359 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:17,480 of the Lord came upon him and of course he wrote these psalms. 360 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:20,600 But he's saying as I have seen you in the sanctuary. 361 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:23,360 And if we think about the times where he had been in the 362 00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:25,440 Tabernacle, no doubt it would have been amazing. 363 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:29,000 Of course he had seen the Lord have him kill the lion and the 364 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,240 bear. And he said, the Lord will 365 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:32,600 deliver this Philistine into my hand. 366 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:35,440 No doubt he could, we could claim those times at times Lord 367 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,640 preserved him, probably times where he got to feel just an 368 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,440 amazing closeness to the Lord in the Tabernacle and know the ark 369 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,680 of the covenant is there and the 10 commandment, the tablets and 370 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:46,760 and errands rod and all these amazing things. 371 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:51,360 And so he says about that. I'm in a dry and thirsty land. 372 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,840 At that time, he felt like he was separate from from a 373 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,080 significant place. He was separate from a special 374 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:01,760 place where he could meet with the Lord as a, as a, an Old 375 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:03,640 Testament man. He knew, though, that he 376 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:06,400 couldn't get away from the Lord. He said at some point in the 377 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:10,640 Psalm, he said, I, to paraphrase, if I'm at the top of 378 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:12,240 the mountain, I can't get away from you. 379 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:13,680 You're there. And if I'm at the bottom of the 380 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,000 sea, you're there as well. And he knew that. 381 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:20,040 But what's amazing is that David had this trust and faith in the 382 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:23,160 Lord without having some of the promises you and I have. 383 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:25,880 And we'll pause here for a second and just consider where 384 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:28,960 we are at as Christians and living in this interest world. 385 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:30,720 We do have challenges and trials. 386 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:35,160 We do have enemies, maybe not like David, but people at work 387 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:37,640 that don't like the way you live and it's just so different or, 388 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:40,840 or it just like Daniel, an excellent spirit was in him and 389 00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:43,400 people just had to get after him because Daniel keeps getting 390 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:45,240 promoted. And and maybe you have a 391 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:47,760 situation where just like, I just can't understand that guy 392 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:50,720 and it makes it, it's a hard time or the boss gives you a 393 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:52,960 hard time or you have health issues. 394 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:56,160 Maybe there's a lost loved one that you've told shared the 395 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:58,560 gospel to and they just, they won't, they won't hear it. 396 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:00,640 And you could. That's a discouraging situation. 397 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:03,600 I think of my uncle right now and, and Lord, they just, they 398 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:06,120 just will never hear it. And it could be discouraging or 399 00:20:06,120 --> 00:20:09,160 a prodigal son or daughter or or brother or sister that you just 400 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:12,200 wish would, would come to the Lord and feel that his yoke is 401 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:13,520 easy. And instead they're, they're 402 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:16,120 struggling in life. We have these things that come 403 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:19,440 and it's important to remember and take some heart because 404 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:22,680 David had faith and trust in the Lord without some of the 405 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,720 promises that we have. But we have some pretty amazing 406 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:28,960 promises. See the The Lord said, I will 407 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:30,520 never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 408 00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:33,480 Talking about sharing the gospel, he said, Lo, I am with 409 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,080 you always, even until the end of the world, he says. 410 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:38,880 To those that are lost. But I think. 411 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:41,760 You could even apply it to us as well as his children. 412 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:44,600 He says come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, 413 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:46,760 and I will give you rest as a safe person. 414 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:50,080 This is true for us that he's taking our burdens, He's taking 415 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,360 our sins. He says take my yoke upon you 416 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:55,120 and learn of me. And I'm sorry to not quote it 417 00:20:55,120 --> 00:20:58,560 perfectly, but he's meek and he's meek and lowly, right? 418 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:02,480 He says, take my yoke upon you and Lord of me and and the idea 419 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:06,640 that the God of the universe, the Bible says that the word 420 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:09,000 right. He without him was not anything 421 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:13,120 made that was made and that God of his own will begat he us with 422 00:21:13,120 --> 00:21:16,360 the word of truth. Jesus, the God of the universe, 423 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:19,920 who spoke the earth into existence right and the son of 424 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:23,160 the stars, that amazing creator God, he humbled himself and took 425 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:27,480 upon flesh and and the likeness of a man and and took upon him 426 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:30,840 the form of a servant. And he says take my yoke upon 427 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:33,400 you and learn to be the fact that he a God that meek and 428 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:34,680 humble. I don't know if I can, even I 429 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:36,160 can't. Describe it the way I should 430 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:38,840 but. Take my yoke upon you and and 431 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:40,800 I'll walk alongside you in life and help you. 432 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:43,520 That's the Holy Spirit. He's given us the comforter. 433 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,760 The word there means the one who walks alongside. 434 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:49,840 And he would, He said he would send us another comforter. 435 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:53,360 He said that to his disciple. So I'm so thankful that for 436 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,680 whatever situation of life we're in, whether it's good or bad, 437 00:21:57,120 --> 00:21:59,360 the Lord's given us help that we have. 438 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:03,000 And he's given us examples like the one David gives us that in 439 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,280 the midst of this time in his life, he writes a song of praise 440 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:08,800 and and that he is seeking after God. 441 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,080 So we do experience trials and we have consequences for the 442 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:15,720 things we do in life. And what these things should do 443 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,480 is drive us to God and that we would see like, like David, I 444 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:23,440 ought to have a desire for God. So we see David had a desire for 445 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:27,400 God and we should too. Another thing is it could drive 446 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:29,800 us to the Lord because we've seen him do great things. 447 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:33,760 And we see that David had a desire for God also. 448 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,680 He had a desire for God because he had seen him do great things. 449 00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:40,920 He says in verse 2 to see thy. Power and thy glory. 450 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:45,440 So as I have seen the end of sanctuary, David had seen the 451 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:52,040 Lord do great things. I'm thankful as well because the 452 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:55,000 Lord has done great things in my life and I think about the 453 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,320 churches I've been able to be a part of and the seasons that 454 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,560 I've got to be there and be a member there for and see. 455 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:05,600 What the Lord has done My ascending church actually grew a 456 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:11,160 great amount during coronavirus and they regarding the laws and 457 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,960 following them and I'll stay out of politics too much, but 458 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:16,880 there's a balance of submitting to what's over you and obeying 459 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,200 God rather than men and the Lord blessed them because they they 460 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:22,840 stayed open as much as possible. They social distancing clean, 461 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:24,680 but they kept the church open. They had. 462 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,160 Services outside. They had services inside and by 463 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,920 the end of that season the church had grown by a huge 464 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:33,520 amount. Now we meet in the the gymnasium 465 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:35,320 because we don't fit in the old auditorium. 466 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:37,760 Matter of fact, the old auditorium is not there anymore. 467 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:39,880 It's it was renovated. I came right when they were 468 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:42,800 renovating it and I got to help and it's this multi purpose 469 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:43,960 room. But the Lord. 470 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:47,480 Did an amazing thing in that time of a challenging time. 471 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,400 I think of what the Lord did in my home churches. 472 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:53,600 I grew up I I don't remember how long Pastor Rivera, it's been 473 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:55,360 that you've been here. Was it 12 years? 474 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:58,440 I don't know. Was this building building here 475 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:00,880 when y'all came? Or did you have to build it? 476 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:03,800 Did you buy it? Amen. 477 00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:06,520 Well, you know what, no doubt many of y'all, maybe some of 478 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:07,840 y'all need to learn the stories from him. 479 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,560 But many of y'all know much better than I what the Lord's 480 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:12,600 done here. But of those things, you can say 481 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:13,840 the Lord's done great things where? 482 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:16,840 Wherever we are glad, and I'm so thankful he does. 483 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:20,800 Of all the great things the Lord does in our lives, I think 484 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:23,560 probably the greatest is the work of the gospel, at least 485 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:26,080 from my standpoint. God changing my life and my 486 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:28,880 family's life. And of course he he. 487 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,000 Though Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the 488 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,080 world on the cross is when he said it is finished right? 489 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:37,480 And he gave up the ghost. Father, into thy hands I commit 490 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:39,400 my spirit. And he started. 491 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:42,640 He finished right in that sense. And then three days later he 492 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:45,320 rose again, rose out of the grave according to the 493 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:47,360 scriptures, and he gave us victory over death. 494 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:50,040 And and, and, and No Fear of death. 495 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:52,160 It's it's amazing. That's the greatest work I 496 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:53,720 believe that's ever, ever occurred. 497 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,760 And so I'm so thankful that as I get to preach or witness to 498 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:00,760 people, I get to share what the Lord did in my life because 499 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:04,440 without him I'd be so lost. And I'm confident I wouldn't 500 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,800 have my dad today. But the story goes, I'll do it 501 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,120 short and sweet. But the story goes, pastor say 502 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:11,760 that short and sweet. Maybe it won't be short and 503 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,960 sweet but I grew up in Washington state. 504 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:20,680 I was born in 1998 to my 19 year old mother, my early 20s father. 505 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:24,240 They weren't married, I was born out of wedlock and they had my 506 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:29,120 sister about 2 1/2 years later, myself and my sister Isabel and 507 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:33,360 my father was alcoholic, Mexican migrant. 508 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,040 Just interesting way how my family and my parents got 509 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:38,640 together. But they didn't have the Lord. 510 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:43,680 They had a Catholic background and just were, you know, trying 511 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:45,960 to find life out. And he was drinking. 512 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:48,400 They had the bar lifestyle. They worked at restaurants. 513 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,920 And about the time I was four years old, my mom decided that 514 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:53,280 she was going to separate from him. 515 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:54,960 She thought that was the best thing to do. 516 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:56,640 The home was in a peaceful place. 517 00:25:56,640 --> 00:25:59,440 I'm thankful my dad never physically harmed my mom. 518 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:01,840 But constantly they were fighting, arguing. 519 00:26:02,360 --> 00:26:06,160 I remember when I was young, my sister could could walk at that 520 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:09,520 time, she was probably 2 that my mom told me to take her in the 521 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:11,960 room, go to the room and we just we went and hid because they 522 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:15,480 were screaming and yelling. Eventually after my mom got 523 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:17,280 saved, my dad threw her Bible in the fire. 524 00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:19,040 I think it burned. I don't know what happened. 525 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:22,720 I just know that that happened. So with without Jesus in our 526 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:25,280 home know Jesus, there was no peace. 527 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:28,800 But once we got to know him well, we did end up knowing 528 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:30,320 peace. And I was so thankful because 529 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:34,280 after she separated, we were searching for something and it 530 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:37,280 was that hard time that the Lord used to bring our attention to 531 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:40,080 our need. And so we were looking for my 532 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:42,760 mom was looking. I was only for just for answers. 533 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:44,760 She tried to go to a Buddhist temple. 534 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:48,480 She did undergo this cleansing ritual to find Zen to find 535 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:49,880 peace. And she didn't find peace from 536 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:51,720 that. There were issues that came from 537 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:53,960 that. She didn't go to Mass because 538 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:55,960 she never found peace in the Catholic religion. 539 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:59,040 But one day, Wooden Valley Baptist Church, the van 540 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:01,960 ministry, drove through the back drive of our apartment complex. 541 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:04,200 And I was there playing outside on the grass. 542 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:06,240 My sister was there and my mom was watching us. 543 00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:09,760 And so she saw the lettering on the van and she just remembered. 544 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:11,280 And she had been there twice as this little girl. 545 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:13,280 So she just said that's what we need. 546 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:15,720 And she flagged them down, said, can my kids come, too? 547 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:18,600 I was old enough to go at four years old. 548 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:20,520 I was potty trained so I was allowed to go. 549 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,840 And he said sure, he gave me a sucker. 550 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:25,320 He asked if we could have a sucker. 551 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:26,840 I still remember. It's amazing the things you 552 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:29,280 remember vividly as a child. This was a big event in my life. 553 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:32,880 So he said, can they have a sucker gave me? 554 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:35,680 I think they gave me two suckers, but also a coloring 555 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:37,640 sheet. My sister got one and we went 556 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:39,600 inside. They said tomorrow we'll take 557 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:41,400 you to church on Sunday. It was Saturday, they're 558 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,040 visiting the visitors and then they come back tomorrow. 559 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:46,720 So they came, they picked me up, took me to the four and five 560 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,200 year olds class. And I learned, I learned songs 561 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:51,080 like Jesus loves me. They showed me the love of 562 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:53,360 Christ. I also learned God's love is 563 00:27:53,360 --> 00:27:55,160 like a circle. I'm curious if anybody knows 564 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:58,040 that song in here? You guys know this song. 565 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:01,480 This is only the third church I've been to out of like 55 to 566 00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:04,600 60, but it goes. God's love is like a circle, a 567 00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:07,040 circle big and round. And a four year old and a five 568 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:08,120 year old, you can do this, right? 569 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:10,640 And I was just learning. It says just like the circle 570 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:12,200 never ends, God's love never ends. 571 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:14,800 I came back and my mom said I sang this song to her. 572 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:17,480 I remembered it and I knew that the Lord loved me. 573 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:20,960 So she she decided, OK, yes, you can, you can go back to church. 574 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:26,200 She drove myself and my sister. The next Sunday we we drove down 575 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:27,800 the hill to where the church used to be. 576 00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:30,320 The church had grown and it was in a new location. 577 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:33,360 So we actually came in late. Eventually we we found the way. 578 00:28:33,360 --> 00:28:35,720 She asked directions. We got there, I went to my 579 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:37,800 class. She sat in the back row and she 580 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:41,240 heard the pastor preaching and. About the gospel and she 581 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:43,640 realized this is what I need. So she came forward at the time 582 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:46,200 of the invitation, prayed, and she got saved. 583 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:49,840 And the Lord at that point had a foothold in my family's life. 584 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:52,760 About six months later, I was 4 1/2. 585 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:58,600 It was October 24th, 2002, and I had been reading a chick track 586 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:00,480 or looking through the pages of a chick track. 587 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:03,000 I had to trace it back later when I could actually, like, 588 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:05,560 read the words because I just was looking at the pictures as a 589 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:07,840 4 1/2 year old. And it was the devil's birthday, 590 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:10,920 so I was afraid. I knew I knew God loved me as it 591 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:13,160 shared the songs that that was taught, but I knew I was a 592 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:15,520 Sinner as well. The night before was Wednesday. 593 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:18,920 My pastor was preaching on hell and I knew I had not cleaned my 594 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:21,640 room. I've been mad at my mom and I 595 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:23,200 was going to go to hell. I was a Sinner. 596 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:25,600 And so I ran to my mom. I was in the hallway. 597 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:28,840 I ran to her and said mom, I need to get saved and and she 598 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:31,600 took my hand and we knelt there. I remember staring my face right 599 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:33,960 into the the light brown apartment floor and just saying 600 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:37,200 Jesus, I'm sorry for my sins. I know I'm a Sinner and will you 601 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:38,880 please forgive me? And I want to go to heaven when 602 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:40,920 I die. And I remember thanking him for 603 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:45,360 Brother Jeff and Miss Cindy Pennington because they were the 604 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:47,240 ones who came by on the bus route and brought me to the 605 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:50,320 church the first time. I would go on, well, I stood up 606 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:54,320 and say 4 1/2 year old boy, but I would go on to keep riding the 607 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:55,840 bus because I loved riding the bus. 608 00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:59,280 And I go, I go help bring other kids to church and, and it's 609 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:03,440 amazing what happened because. To be honest, many times a bus 610 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:05,000 kid doesn't end up sticking it through. 611 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,920 Many times if they even do, their family doesn't get saved. 612 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:11,680 But the fact that the Lord saved me, the Lord saved my mom and my 613 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:14,760 sister would go on to get saved when she was 7 and eventually my 614 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:17,720 father would get saved. I'm just so thankful for God's 615 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:21,160 grace because my life should have been so much different and 616 00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:24,400 I never expected to be on a in a place like Massachusetts on the 617 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:26,520 East Coast. But the Lord brought me here and 618 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:29,480 I get to share what He can do anywhere and with anybody. 619 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:33,760 So I'm so thankful because if it were not for God and if we're 620 00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:36,560 not for the fact that we repented and turned to him, our 621 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:38,000 life would have been so much different. 622 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:41,600 But at this time in my life, my father's been saved for a good 623 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:44,560 amount of years. He he finally trusted the Lord. 624 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:48,680 I believe the Lord, I'm well, he would not be allowed today. 625 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:51,440 I'm just confident to say based on the the stories we've talked 626 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:55,000 about and and the decisions he made, but the Lord saved him. 627 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,680 He trusted the Lord. He is no longer an alcoholic. 628 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:00,640 He realized he should obey the Bible and get married. 629 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:02,880 And you know, they can't live together without being married. 630 00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:05,280 And they got they got married. The Lord gave them three more 631 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:07,320 kids. They're all faithful in church, 632 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:10,520 the same church singing in the choir, just trained up in the 633 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:12,760 nurture and the admonition of the Lord. 634 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:16,160 And I'm so thankful because we had been in darkness. 635 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:18,520 We had been in the miry clay, but the Lord. 636 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:22,360 Took us up and he took us out of the miry clay and he set our 637 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:25,600 feet upon a rock and he established all our goings. 638 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:28,120 So I'm so thankful because the Lord really has done great 639 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:31,400 things and He's done great things in my family's life. 640 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:35,560 And what I want to see is the Lord do that on the reservation. 641 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:39,960 And I have a desire to see Him do things above and beyond what 642 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:43,440 I can imagine He's able to do. Exceeding abundantly above all 643 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:46,520 that we ask or think. And so how does this relate to 644 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:48,600 us tonight? How does it relate to us as 645 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:52,000 missions and with the idea that we're y'all are going into the 646 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:54,600 missions conference or the missions conference is coming. 647 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,240 How can our hearts be ready? Well, like David, we as 648 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:01,120 Christians can go through challenging times and and 649 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,400 regardless, we ought to have this desire for God. 650 00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:08,600 But also we see from David, he said to see thy power and thy 651 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:10,560 glory just like he had seen it already. 652 00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:13,200 Lord, I want to see you do something great, just like I 653 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:16,760 have seen you. And we can say David had a 654 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:19,760 desire for God and because he had seen him do great things. 655 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:23,200 And you can say too, Lord, will you do something great for me? 656 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:26,600 Will will you? Will you help me in my health 657 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,200 situation? Will you help me heal? 658 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:32,400 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much 659 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:35,920 The Bible says the Lord is the great healer. 660 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:39,720 Is it Jehovah Rapha? He's the Lord, our healer. 661 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:44,640 Lord will you will you break the heart of stone of my loved one 662 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:47,360 that won't hear my my son or my coworker that. 663 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:49,040 That I don't. Feel like is going to listen to 664 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:51,640 the gospel. We can ask him to do these 665 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:54,600 things or you name it. You know where where you are and 666 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:58,320 the Holy Spirit knows what we need and we can say like that as 667 00:32:58,320 --> 00:33:02,040 David as a child of God with the heavenly Father ABBA father and 668 00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:05,640 ask him. We know if if our earthly father 669 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:08,040 wouldn't give us a stone or wouldn't give us a snake when we 670 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,600 ask for bread, when we ask for a fish, right when we ask for 671 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:13,560 things of our father right. What about the heavenly Father? 672 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:16,760 How much more heavenly Father and we can seek after him. 673 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:18,240 Say, Lord, would you do something great? 674 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:23,320 But the last thing to consider as it relates to missions is 675 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:28,280 that just like. Your Father God loves you and he 676 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:31,240 saved you if you if you know him as your as your Savior here 677 00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:33,520 tonight and you've repented of your sins and understand that 678 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:37,960 Jesus paid that price for you. He loves you and he wants to 679 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:40,600 bless you and he does well just the same. 680 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:44,720 He loves those ones who do not know him just as much, and he 681 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:49,560 died for those ones that are without, and he says whosoever. 682 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,840 Will may come, and Jesus said. And I, if I be lifted up, will 683 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:55,920 draw all meant to myself or himself, myself. 684 00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:58,960 This signifying what death He would die saying on the cross. 685 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:01,960 When he he died on the cross and was hung there for our sins. 686 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:06,440 He was proclaiming a message to the world, I will draw you to 687 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:08,159 myself. I paid for your sins. 688 00:34:08,159 --> 00:34:09,960 It is finished. I paid for them on the cross, 689 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:11,920 something that we could never do, pay for our sins. 690 00:34:12,199 --> 00:34:14,159 He already did. And it's the finished work. 691 00:34:14,159 --> 00:34:17,679 He said it is finished and he rose from the grave three days 692 00:34:17,679 --> 00:34:20,600 later accounted by by many people historians seen by more 693 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:22,639 than 500 people by the power of God. 694 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:25,040 Why so that he would give us victory over death. 695 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:26,560 This is the message of the gospel. 696 00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:30,120 This is what God wants to do in the lives of all of those around 697 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:33,320 us. And we like David, can seek 698 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:35,560 after God and say, Lord, I need your help because of the 699 00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:38,400 situation I'm in. And Lord, will you please do 700 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:41,960 something great because I know you can also like Job, we can 701 00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:45,000 trust him say though he slay me if it doesn't turn out the way, 702 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:48,679 expect if it's not what I want, he says, though he slay me, yet 703 00:34:48,679 --> 00:34:51,199 will I trust him? Job said, isn't that amazing? 704 00:34:52,679 --> 00:34:56,960 And we can see acknowledge the reality that the Lord wants to 705 00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:59,160 do great things in the lives of all of those around us. 706 00:34:59,880 --> 00:35:03,360 The, the, the hospital, you know, Co worker, the bank 707 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:06,760 teller, the bank clerk, somebody you meet at the gas station, the 708 00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:08,760 list goes on. I, I don't know where it is that 709 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:12,440 you, where you cross paths with people, but the Lord has a heart 710 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:16,840 to see those people, your community, the greater area of 711 00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:21,320 Massachusetts, the Boston area, the states, the Navajo Indians. 712 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,160 He has a heart to bring them to him. 713 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:25,960 He is not willing that any should perish, but that all 714 00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:29,800 should come to repentance. And it's his desire to do that. 715 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:32,880 Matter of fact, I believe it's always been his desire. 716 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:37,400 We see in the Old Testament, he he uses people like Rahab the 717 00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:41,520 harlot, like Ruth, the Moabitest woman, and those people were not 718 00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:45,120 Jews. But we see during the lineage of 719 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:47,640 Jesus and how the Messiah would be brought to us that God even 720 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:51,680 allows people like that to be part of that lineage of Jesus 721 00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:54,000 and be great, great grandparents to Jesus. 722 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:57,960 And God uses people like that. And then in the New Testament, 723 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:02,600 we see him bring Peter, bring the gospel to the Roman century 724 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:06,160 and Cornelius and, and they believe and, and what we see 725 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:09,080 clearly through Scripture, sometimes people get this idea 726 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:13,520 that the Old Testament is laws and judgment, right? 727 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:16,680 And that the New Testament is, is only love and, and peace and 728 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:19,520 blessings. But the truth is God has always 729 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:22,800 been just and he's always loved and his desire has been that 730 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:26,120 when he said to Abraham and thee shall all nations of the earth 731 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:29,520 be blessed desire was that he bring all men to himself and 732 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:32,840 from the beginning. And it it just happens that in 733 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:36,080 this time of the world and as part of Liberty Baptist Church 734 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:39,640 as saved Christians. He wants to use us to do that 735 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:44,520 and, and as and as a church family to do that to be to be 736 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:48,920 the ones that see the people in our lives receive the gospel and 737 00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:52,520 hear the gospel and, and help send people out to, to share the 738 00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:54,960 gospel. He may even want you to be one 739 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:57,960 of those people, not only to he's done a great work in your 740 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:03,280 life, but he may want you to be one that decides to go or, or 741 00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:06,040 maybe to, to serve in a way that's greater than you expect. 742 00:37:06,440 --> 00:37:09,720 No doubt David in this time of his life didn't know what would 743 00:37:09,720 --> 00:37:12,720 happen, but he chose to trust God and and the Lord brought him 744 00:37:12,720 --> 00:37:14,680 through it. And we think about what the Lord 745 00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:17,840 has you to do or maybe what the Lord knows you will go through. 746 00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:20,200 If you're not going through something hard now that's over 747 00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:24,560 your head, you need to trust him and say, Lord, I'm seeking after 748 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,440 you in the midst of this and I know you can do something great. 749 00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:30,600 And if you want to do that in my life, if you want me, if you 750 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:32,880 want to use me to do it, I'll do it. 751 00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:38,000 David had a desire for God and so should we, and he had a 752 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,160 desire for God to see him do great things and so can we too. 753 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:43,080 We can say, Lord, will you please do something great? 754 00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:47,640 And, and, and also the Lord wants us to have a desire to see 755 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,440 the lost souls. Around us saved and and and 756 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:52,840 desire to be part of that. And this evening, I just want to 757 00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:55,760 encourage you, whether you're going through a great time or 758 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:58,440 you're going through a situation that's challenging, the Lord 759 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:01,040 knows where we're at. And he and he, he has a, he has 760 00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:04,960 a plan for it and he's given us an example that we can rejoice 761 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:07,960 in these things and say. Like David, Lord, I'm seeking 762 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:10,880 after you just the same and will you do something great again? 763 00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:15,200 As we close, I want to encourage you to think about this way, 764 00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:19,320 that we seek the Lord early and desire a deeper relationship. 765 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:24,640 And as we do these things, we pray, pray for our God to work 766 00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:27,200 in the trial that we have for our loss coworker. 767 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:30,400 Whatever it is, we pray, and what will happen is we'll begin 768 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:33,840 to view our God with a biblical mindset. 769 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:38,240 Our hardship with the heavenly mindset and the lost world with 770 00:38:38,240 --> 00:38:40,560 the eyes that God has for them too. 771 00:38:41,240 --> 00:38:42,480 And then we're ready to wait and see. 772 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:45,680 What God will do. What an amazing thing that David 773 00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:48,000 had a desire for God and he had seen to do great things. 774 00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:52,160 God has the desire to do great things in our lives too, and the 775 00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:55,520 lives of those around us. Thank you for listening to this 776 00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:58,080 sermon from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church. 777 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:01,680 If this message was a blessing to you, or if there's any way we 778 00:39:01,680 --> 00:39:04,800 can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at 779 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:09,680 info@mylibertybaptist.org. Or you can visit us this Sunday 780 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:13,600 at 800 Washington St. in Easton, MA. 781 00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:16,640 May the Lord bless you as you grow in His Word.