WEBVTT 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:13.320 Hello, and welcome to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:14.839 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.160 We're Startup Church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.660 --> 00:00:26.559 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect. 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:36.439 Be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more, you can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:40.380 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:42.740 Uh, we're going to get into the lesson. 00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:44.020 You can open up to Psalm 90. 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:46.920 Yeah. 00:00:47.399 --> 00:00:55.539 So this is the, this is the last sermon until we're going to pick up a thread again, thread is, uh, you, you all know it. 00:00:55.539 --> 00:01:01.859 It's an app that, uh, that we really have the opportunity to, uh, every day, really connect with God and his word. 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:16.620 And we've been going through the, uh, right now we're in the middle of the Exodus, um, and actually we're going to read a Psalm that is not part of thread, but it is a part of the, uh, the Exodus. 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:17.959 And so I didn't know if you knew that. 00:01:18.019 --> 00:01:25.000 I didn't know it until I started studying it this week is that Psalm 90 was written by, uh, written by Moses. 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:35.879 Um, most of the Psalms were, were, were dated or dated around David's time, maybe a little bit before, maybe a little bit after, uh, Moses is, is many years before that. 00:01:35.980 --> 00:01:59.299 And so he's, he, he writes this Psalm that we're going to dig into and get in the middle of as a reminder, Israel is in the middle, uh, this whole nation's in the middle of this time period between when they were, uh, when, when they were set free and when the red seas parted and when they went through up until, uh, then there's this 40 year gap and then they get to go to the promised land. 00:01:59.500 --> 00:02:12.620 This time in exile, uh, is, or in the Exodus, excuse me, is a time when they're journeying and they're figuring out what do we, uh, who are we as a people we've been oppressed for this many years. 00:02:12.699 --> 00:02:22.879 We can't just go from oppressed to, uh, you know, we, we have everything worked out, so we have to figure out what does it look like for us to be a people of God and be united in that way? 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:30.879 Uh, in the middle of that, Moses writes this Psalm or we're going to read this one and then we're going to read Psalm 91 just a little bit. 00:02:31.139 --> 00:02:39.680 And then we, we either, it'll be a, depending on how quickly we get through this, it'll be either a challenge for you to read Psalm 92, or we might be able to read a little bit of that, uh, this morning as well. 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:42.960 Uh, the title for today is that God is in control. 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:58.840 You know, I'm going to share with you some truths that if you're here, you probably believe, but then I'm going to share the ramifications for these truths and how our, what our response should be to these truths. 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:02.240 And so if, uh, what I'm saying right now is not earth shattering. 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:05.479 And if none of this lesson is earth shattering, that's okay. 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:13.860 And I think it's, it's an opportunity for you to, uh, to just give me a little grace or, uh, or for you to, you to, maybe there's something that you can study in your own time. 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:17.680 Uh, but what I would say is I bet there's going to be something in here for everybody. 00:03:17.979 --> 00:03:24.740 Um, and, and we'll make sense of it, uh, during, during this part where we share about what we ought to do with, with these facts. 00:03:24.780 --> 00:03:26.639 The first is that he's all powerful. 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:27.560 We're in Psalm 90. 00:03:31.560 --> 00:03:33.120 This is Moses right now. 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:49.400 And he writes, Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations before the mountains were born, or you brought forth the whole world from everlasting to everlasting. 00:03:49.780 --> 00:03:51.039 You are God. 00:03:52.479 --> 00:03:56.639 You turn people back to dust saying return to dust. 00:03:56.780 --> 00:04:06.300 You mortals a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by or like a watch in the night. 00:04:06.580 --> 00:04:07.699 We'll pause here. 00:04:09.180 --> 00:04:11.819 That doesn't come off extremely encouraging. 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:24.160 I don't think the beginning part does, but then it says not only is that true, but then it's also true that you, uh, you, you order our days and you let us know when, when your time is up and you decide these things. 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:33.660 But think about the part in the beginning right now, that Moses says, Lord, you've been our dwelling place throughout all generations. 00:04:35.060 --> 00:04:40.259 He said, he didn't say, Lord, you have created our dwelling place. 00:04:41.339 --> 00:04:46.899 He didn't say, uh, Lord, you have provided our dwelling place. 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:50.339 He didn't say, Lord, you told us to go to the dwelling place. 00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:54.100 No, he says, no, you are our dwelling place. 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:57.779 You are all of it, like our dwelling. 00:04:57.879 --> 00:04:58.920 And so what, what is a dwelling? 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:11.079 Well, a couple of things you think that there's safety inside of a dwelling or a place to be, and there's also sustenance, uh, that, that I can eat some food or I can be relaxed or I can be calm. 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:20.759 And this is, this is what Moses saying, God, you, you do, you do this for us for every generation, you provide safety and you provide sustenance for us. 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:23.019 Uh, you are that powerful. 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:24.100 You're able to do that. 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:32.720 There's no time limit or expiration that God has to in, in terms of his connection to his people. 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:39.660 Like there's not a time limit where we can go and we know this, but there's not a time limit where you go and you say, okay, I spent the time with God. 00:05:39.819 --> 00:05:42.839 He said, he's got to hang out with Alec for a little bit. 00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:45.540 And so God, I'll get back to you in a, in a bit. 00:05:45.620 --> 00:05:47.399 No, it says he's unlimited. 00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:54.959 He's able to, you're able to spend as much time as you possibly can dream of, uh, as much time as he gives you with him, you're able to do that. 00:05:55.019 --> 00:05:56.839 He is all powerful in that way. 00:05:59.449 --> 00:06:06.350 Then, then there, there's also a truth is that he is the organizer of life and death. 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:10.519 He's the mastermind. 00:06:10.579 --> 00:06:18.680 Think about the idea for maybe we're getting too big brain or too mad or whatever you want to call it, but think about the concept of life and death that we understand is just true. 00:06:18.839 --> 00:06:23.699 You know, we, we, you know, blade of grass, you pick it off and it turns, uh, it turns yellow over time. 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:26.860 All of that like life and death, all of it's organized by God. 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:30.579 Certainly in, in terms of our lives and people, it's organized by him. 00:06:30.740 --> 00:06:37.300 But just in terms of like the concept that we have, that if you, uh, pick something out, if you uproot a tree, it will, it's dead. 00:06:37.339 --> 00:06:38.160 It doesn't keep growing. 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:43.720 And of course that's true, but God is the one who originated and organized and made that be true. 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:44.060 Right. 00:06:45.660 --> 00:06:50.980 He's the mastermind between, uh, behind rather why some things die in a day. 00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:52.180 Thank God. 00:06:52.259 --> 00:06:53.800 I think mosquitoes don't live all that long. 00:06:53.879 --> 00:06:54.480 Flies neither. 00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:55.480 Thank God for that. 00:06:55.579 --> 00:07:06.519 Uh, but he's also the mastermind, but behind why living things last thousands of years, and you can look at different trees or, uh, you know, different plants. 00:07:06.519 --> 00:07:17.339 So you can look at, um, perhaps not thousands of years, but, but hundreds of years, you can even look at these massive tortoises or the, you know, all, all of this stuff got, got organized, got to organize that. 00:07:17.379 --> 00:07:18.399 And he's not bound by that. 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:30.579 You know, if you, if you, if somebody asked you, uh, do you want to take control of your life? 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:33.180 Like you just take control of your life and oh, we have control. 00:07:33.259 --> 00:07:33.360 Yeah. 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:37.939 We have a little bit of control, but I have only control of some of the stuff I can do. 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:39.800 I can't control how people will respond. 00:07:39.800 --> 00:07:43.680 And so do you want control over how people respond to what you do? 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:48.800 And I think, I don't know about you, maybe you're a more humble person than I, I would say, yeah, absolutely. 00:07:48.939 --> 00:07:51.819 Like, I'd love to be able to interact. 00:07:51.819 --> 00:07:53.759 And somebody just says, Hey, looking good today. 00:07:53.779 --> 00:07:54.399 Like, like that. 00:07:54.500 --> 00:07:54.899 Oh, great. 00:07:54.980 --> 00:07:55.199 Wow. 00:07:55.220 --> 00:07:56.139 I'm feeling good about myself. 00:07:56.139 --> 00:08:00.240 And I'd love to be able to go to the store and the person in front of me pays for my groceries. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:01.980 And I'm like, man, it's just my day to day. 00:08:02.300 --> 00:08:07.779 Uh, we would, I think we'd all love a level of control over our lives. 00:08:07.779 --> 00:08:12.379 Uh, but if you ask somebody, do you want to be in control of everybody's life? 00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:14.180 No way. 00:08:14.660 --> 00:08:15.379 That's overwhelming. 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:21.300 Like, think about being in control of your, if you have children, think about being in control of your children's lives, like fully in control. 00:08:21.300 --> 00:08:30.060 Like that is a scary place to, uh, to live, uh, to get inside of their brains and to, uh, be able to communicate what they should do or what, what their thought process is. 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:34.820 Nobody would choose to be in control of everything yet. 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:37.500 God is, and he's all powerful and he's able to do that. 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:42.340 Then, but sit with me though, here, think about, think about this. 00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:46.799 So if God is all powerful, Moses is writing it and he knows, God, you're, you've done all of this. 00:08:46.820 --> 00:08:55.279 Actually you, and, and we won't, we're not going to read the middle part of this Psalm this morning, but it's, it, it's, it gets, it sounds dark. 00:08:55.360 --> 00:09:00.980 You know, he talks about God, just please like, don't, don't do what you say you're going to do. 00:09:01.019 --> 00:09:02.759 Like be gracious with us. 00:09:02.779 --> 00:09:06.799 And he, and he's telling him this, but even this, this part that you turn people back to dust. 00:09:07.320 --> 00:09:11.019 Consider the relationship that Moses has with God. 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:15.879 If he's able to say you're able to do all of this, but then I'm still going to ask some things of you though. 00:09:16.179 --> 00:09:20.080 You're a, you're so big, you're so massive, but I'm still going to ask some things. 00:09:20.100 --> 00:09:22.139 Because if we're going to understand God is all powerful. 00:09:22.299 --> 00:09:28.200 And if that's where it ends, then we ought to be absolutely terrified all of the time. 00:09:28.379 --> 00:09:33.200 There should be no security that we feel there should be no peace in our lives. 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:38.179 We should only be concerned with the straight and narrow and not doing anything wrong. 00:09:38.220 --> 00:09:39.259 Cause God is all powerful. 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:40.139 That's where it stops. 00:09:40.179 --> 00:09:40.759 That's where it ends. 00:09:40.860 --> 00:09:43.820 And so that what's the point of anything else? 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:45.720 I just have to do exactly what he says. 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:48.000 Is there a joy in that? 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:48.639 No way. 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:51.100 Why would I, why would there be joy in what if I do something wrong? 00:09:51.879 --> 00:09:53.259 He can just kill me. 00:09:56.149 --> 00:09:58.509 There's, there's, there's more to it than that though. 00:09:58.789 --> 00:10:02.190 Uh, the second point is that he cares more than we do. 00:10:06.149 --> 00:10:08.190 So now we're in verse 12 of Psalm 90. 00:10:09.610 --> 00:10:14.429 God's all powerful, but then he also cares and he cares more than we do. 00:10:14.529 --> 00:10:19.289 It says, teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 00:10:21.169 --> 00:10:21.730 Relent Lord. 00:10:21.870 --> 00:10:23.590 How, how long will it be? 00:10:24.090 --> 00:10:26.230 Have compassion on your servants. 00:10:27.210 --> 00:10:33.450 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 00:10:35.490 --> 00:10:43.210 Make us, make us glad for as many days as you afflicted us for as many years as we have seen trouble. 00:10:43.909 --> 00:10:47.730 May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. 00:10:48.210 --> 00:10:51.629 May the favor of the Lord, our God rest on us. 00:10:52.289 --> 00:10:55.509 Establish the work of our hands for us. 00:10:55.809 --> 00:10:55.990 Yes. 00:10:56.570 --> 00:10:58.850 Establish the work of our hands. 00:11:02.059 --> 00:11:05.539 You see the relationship that Moses understands as well. 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:07.279 He says, God, I know you're all powerful. 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:09.259 But I know that you also care. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:11.960 And because you also care, please relent. 00:11:12.740 --> 00:11:18.720 And because you, you also care, it says, make us glad for as many days as you, you have afflicted us. 00:11:18.779 --> 00:11:25.580 And that's giving God, Psalms is sharing emotions and he's sharing, God, you organize it and so you allowed it to happen. 00:11:25.779 --> 00:11:43.220 You know, if you talk to someone who is, who has power over you, and if you ask them to stop having power over me, or instead of having this negative power over me, go ahead and give me something good instead, usually it, it, it often doesn't work out that well. 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:56.799 Um, especially in, in limited context, you know, I, I playing basketball in high school, I I've shared about this at different points, but my, uh, my coach in high school was, um, he was, he wasn't a very good coach. 00:11:56.840 --> 00:12:00.519 He like, he, he just, he didn't know too, he didn't know ball like that. 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:01.840 Like he just wasn't, he wasn't very good. 00:12:01.899 --> 00:12:02.860 He was really good at yelling. 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:05.799 He was really good at making us run. 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:16.000 He, uh, he was a decent motivator and, um, and he had a, a wide vocabulary of words that I'm not allowed to say here, nor do I, nor do I want to say here. 00:12:16.200 --> 00:12:29.419 Um, I should say, so he, he just one time, I remember we showed up to this winter practice, winter practices were the worst because you've got about, uh, two, two weeks before you're going to play another game. 00:12:29.419 --> 00:12:44.379 So you've got this stretch where whatever the coach says goes and you think it's winter break and that's great, but it's, it's two days in the middle of, you know, the middle of winter, we're like, well, we're here, uh, we'll practice in the morning, which is, uh, mostly skill work, running stuff. 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:46.600 And then, uh, but like individual. 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:50.779 And then in the afternoon is like the team concept type of things. 00:12:50.779 --> 00:12:54.580 And so that's how, how we had, we, that was just organized this way. 00:12:54.580 --> 00:13:02.820 And so there was, uh, one practice in particular where, um, there was some, there was some players on my team that came. 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:07.039 Um, I don't know how to say this in the best way. 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:08.519 Uh, well they were high. 00:13:09.019 --> 00:13:12.360 Um, and so they, they, they came and they were ready to play basketball. 00:13:12.440 --> 00:13:14.120 They were making a bunch of mistakes though. 00:13:14.659 --> 00:13:17.259 And so our coach said, okay, everybody get on the line. 00:13:17.299 --> 00:13:19.419 So now when everyone gets on the line, we know we're running. 00:13:20.340 --> 00:13:25.340 And I were, and we ran, um, you have to run like 16 side-by-sides in a minute, basically. 00:13:25.740 --> 00:13:28.639 And, um, and then we missed it. 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:39.360 And usually what happens when that happens is then you go to 12, uh, 12 side-by-sides in 45 seconds and then eight and 30, and then you kind of work your way down and some, at some point you make it and you're like, we're good. 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:45.700 We ran the 16 and one of the guys, uh, says something like, what are we doing this for? 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:46.600 What's the point? 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:48.659 Stock, you know, let's just play basketball. 00:13:50.179 --> 00:13:54.820 And, uh, instead of relenting, the coach said, keep a minute on the clock. 00:13:55.159 --> 00:13:58.720 And what that meant was that we were running another, another full minute. 00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:04.960 And we, until we make this time, we can't stop, uh, rather like it's going to stay at a minute basically. 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:10.080 And so we, we ran more, it took, it was 25 minutes of straight running and we're sprinting. 00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:13.559 There's people, uh, there's people that got sick. 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:20.340 Um, and then at the end of this, you know, 25 minute stretch, he, he says, okay, get out of my gym, we're done. 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:23.399 And then he, and he kicks us out and locks the door and all of that. 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:31.940 And I, what I mean to communicate is when we, you talk to people and you, you ask them, they have power over you and you ask them to relent. 00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:35.779 Um, often, often they, they don't often do that. 00:14:38.690 --> 00:14:41.049 Moses understands something different about God though. 00:14:41.070 --> 00:14:43.789 He understands God really cares for me. 00:14:43.789 --> 00:14:47.909 Uh, we, we can get it mixed up. 00:14:48.149 --> 00:14:54.590 Uh, the idea of having power and that we can go to spots where if you have power, you're automatically going to oppress. 00:14:54.710 --> 00:14:58.129 You think about, uh, your boss and they have authority over you. 00:14:58.169 --> 00:15:04.090 They don't, they don't always do this, but they could use it to oppress, uh, your teacher, your professor, they have authority. 00:15:04.370 --> 00:15:06.509 They can wield it unduly. 00:15:06.789 --> 00:15:16.850 Uh, the government has authority over us in, in some, in some ways, and they use to, uh, further their interests at the expense of ours. 00:15:16.950 --> 00:15:21.710 And I'm not, that's not a political statement, uh, one side or the other, as much as it is just a reality. 00:15:21.809 --> 00:15:27.850 And you can look at almost perhaps every single government that's ever been created, uh, operates in that way. 00:15:30.649 --> 00:15:34.590 What separates this from our Lord is that he cares about us. 00:15:34.649 --> 00:15:37.809 He has all the power and yet he really cares about us. 00:15:38.649 --> 00:15:40.970 He cares more about you than you do about yourself. 00:15:41.950 --> 00:15:46.250 He cares more about, uh, here we go. 00:15:46.309 --> 00:15:51.610 Uh, yeah, he's more gracious with you are, than you are about yourself. 00:15:52.009 --> 00:15:52.110 Yeah. 00:15:52.470 --> 00:15:55.909 Um, he expects more of you as well though, than, than you do of yourself. 00:15:56.110 --> 00:15:56.549 Yeah. 00:15:56.929 --> 00:15:59.049 He cares more about your family than you. 00:15:59.190 --> 00:16:01.049 He cares more about your friends than you do. 00:16:02.289 --> 00:16:07.690 He cares more about his relationship with you than you care about your relationship with him. 00:16:07.809 --> 00:16:08.250 Yeah. 00:16:08.389 --> 00:16:10.250 Consider the humility of that for a second. 00:16:10.289 --> 00:16:12.330 We just talked about God being so powerful. 00:16:12.330 --> 00:16:24.110 And yet we also say that he, that he cares more about if I walk with him, then, uh, then I care if I walk with him like that, that doesn't make any sense in any stretch of our imagination. 00:16:24.149 --> 00:16:25.509 Yet it is true. 00:16:26.610 --> 00:16:39.429 So these are the two, the two things that are holding up this last statement then to this last thing that I want to put before us is that if we understand these to be true, then the only proper response that we can possibly have is gratitude. 00:16:45.399 --> 00:17:05.170 You can, you can turn one Psalm over to Psalm 91 says whoever in verse one, whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the almighty. 00:17:05.690 --> 00:17:10.410 I will say to the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God, and whom I trust. 00:17:11.108 --> 00:17:16.049 Surely he will save you from the fowlers snare and from the deadly pestilence. 00:17:16.230 --> 00:17:21.289 He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings, you will find refuge. 00:17:21.289 --> 00:17:24.509 His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 00:17:25.430 --> 00:17:35.470 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrows that fly by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness nor the plague that destroys at midday. 00:17:36.170 --> 00:17:41.829 A thousand may fall at your side, 10,000 at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 00:17:42.470 --> 00:17:46.450 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 00:17:47.099 --> 00:17:54.789 If you say the Lord is my refuge and you make the most high you're dwelling, no harm will overtake you. 00:17:55.049 --> 00:18:01.329 No disaster will come near your tent, for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 00:18:01.829 --> 00:18:06.190 They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 00:18:06.549 --> 00:18:08.170 You will tread on the lion and the Cobra. 00:18:08.690 --> 00:18:12.730 You will trample the great lion and the serpents because he loves me says the Lord. 00:18:12.769 --> 00:18:13.589 I will rescue him. 00:18:13.930 --> 00:18:16.170 I'll protect him for he acknowledges my name. 00:18:16.650 --> 00:18:18.769 He will call on me and I will answer him. 00:18:18.890 --> 00:18:20.190 I will be with him in trouble. 00:18:20.369 --> 00:18:23.269 I will deliver him and honor him with a long life. 00:18:23.369 --> 00:18:26.150 I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:34.440 This, this Psalm in our Bibles is not, is not attributed. 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:36.119 The first one is attributed to Moses. 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:37.099 This one is not. 00:18:37.259 --> 00:18:43.960 However, most historians and Bible scholars agree that this is written by Moses as well. 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:47.920 So he just said, God, you've done all these things. 00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:52.039 And, but then he says, God, you, if we serve you, nothing bad is going to happen to us. 00:18:52.680 --> 00:18:55.220 Uh, God, I'm so grateful for this. 00:18:55.240 --> 00:19:07.460 You know, we see, uh, the, the, the idea of joy and being grateful all over the Psalms, but particularly in this one saying, God, you've done so much for me. 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:11.579 And I'm so grateful for that gratitude. 00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:14.500 That's not, it's not celebrated in our world today though. 00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:37.380 Uh, maybe we're this one, the first, the first little bit, like the idea of government or the idea of authority, uh, being wielded, uh, improperly that I think is probably universal, um, gratitude and especially the idea of, uh, you know, comparison, um, that stuff is maybe a newer, newer thing. 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:38.279 And this is why I say that. 00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:44.319 And I think comparison is so easy now because a few hundred years ago, we didn't know how people lived before us that much. 00:19:44.579 --> 00:19:50.960 Uh, we didn't know how people lived, uh, on the other side of the world, uh, as much right now, comparison is very easy. 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:56.759 You can go on any kind of media, in your phone, you have all the opportunities to compare yourself to somebody else. 00:19:57.180 --> 00:20:02.059 You can, you know, and comparison in terms of your IQ, you can look at, Oh, what's my IQ. 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:02.980 Am I smart or not? 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:06.920 You can look up, uh, you know, how do I look, uh, all of this stuff. 00:20:06.980 --> 00:20:12.339 You can, you can compare yourself until, uh, until you don't want to anymore. 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:16.500 Comparison is the enemy of gratitude. 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:17.079 Yeah. 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:26.700 If you're, if you are going to be somebody who is grateful in your understanding of God and really truly feels joy in your relationship with God, then you've, you've got to die to this comparison. 00:20:38.279 --> 00:20:46.079 Another metric or another way that you can gauge your gratefulness is your richness towards God. 00:20:48.539 --> 00:20:51.099 And how rich are you towards God? 00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:57.640 Richness can be in a number of different ways. 00:20:57.720 --> 00:21:03.339 I'm not just talking about financially, uh, but financial finances is a part of it. 00:21:03.339 --> 00:21:05.640 But with your time, are you rich towards God with your time? 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:15.640 Would God say, yeah, he's rich towards, towards me with, with my time, with your time, with your speech. 00:21:15.640 --> 00:21:18.319 Are you rich towards God with your speech? 00:21:18.440 --> 00:21:19.940 It is inviting people. 00:21:20.059 --> 00:21:27.480 Yes, that's part of it, but it's not just that, uh, it's, it's how you walk and carry yourself and what you tell people. 00:21:27.619 --> 00:21:41.700 And when you go to the store, are you willing to be, to be burdened by smiling at somebody and asking them how their day is and giving them a little bit of the joy or the gratitude that we ought to be living with? 00:21:45.660 --> 00:21:48.400 When I asked the question, are you rich towards God? 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:55.140 I, I would say there's a couple of places that we can go to that are, that are unhealthy, that, that probably communicate. 00:21:55.259 --> 00:21:57.420 We don't understand the first two things very well. 00:21:57.480 --> 00:21:59.940 The first place you can go, if I ask, are you rich towards God? 00:22:01.079 --> 00:22:04.099 And if your immediate jump, are you rich towards God? 00:22:04.180 --> 00:22:09.640 And you, your immediate jump is, uh, you know, this is a different season in my life. 00:22:09.660 --> 00:22:13.059 I don't have to be super rich towards God financially because I got this going on. 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:15.980 You know, I don't gotta be super rich towards God. 00:22:16.420 --> 00:22:18.000 He knows what's going on in my heart. 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:22.160 And so I, I, I don't know if my time, you know, it's kind of, I'm kind of pressed, right? 00:22:22.180 --> 00:22:22.819 I don't have to be. 00:22:22.920 --> 00:22:28.839 And you, if you're going to give yourself every out, then I bet you're missing how powerful God is. 00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:48.880 If you immediately go to, I can't, I can't spend my time doing this because what's going to happen if I spend my time here with God or with God's people, then I'm going to get behind them in this area. 00:22:49.940 --> 00:22:53.599 Then then perhaps you're just missing how powerful God is. 00:22:56.059 --> 00:23:01.779 Now on the other end, if your response is, uh, are you rich towards God? 00:23:01.859 --> 00:23:02.359 I am. 00:23:02.460 --> 00:23:03.619 This is how I'm rich towards God. 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:05.900 I do this and I do this and I do this and I do this. 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.140 Perhaps you're missing how much God cares for you. 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:18.200 I give so much money and I I'm always with God's people and I'm always talking about them and I'm doing all of these things. 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:18.420 God. 00:23:18.539 --> 00:23:20.240 So of course I'm rich towards God. 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:22.299 Look at all of what I've done. 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:32.220 You can live like that for a bit, but it's never going to be a life that, that is powerful, uh, that, that you were going to continue to grow closer to God. 00:23:32.259 --> 00:23:40.480 If all you're doing is looking at ways and the things that you're doing instead of who you're serving, you're missing how much he cares about you. 00:23:40.700 --> 00:23:42.220 I know he cares about me, but no, no. 00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:43.220 Do you really know that though? 00:23:43.220 --> 00:23:46.119 Do you feel that God cares about what you do? 00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:51.259 So we say, well, how, how do you know? 00:23:51.339 --> 00:23:53.059 How do I know if I'm grateful then? 00:23:53.140 --> 00:23:57.440 I didn't go to either of those places or I went to both of those places just a little bit. 00:23:57.480 --> 00:23:58.660 And how do I know if I'm grateful? 00:23:58.720 --> 00:24:04.859 I think it's, uh, it's not really a checkbox as much as it is a gauge and an opportunity to grow. 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:05.180 Right. 00:24:05.220 --> 00:24:07.119 And because it's same way. 00:24:07.140 --> 00:24:08.880 So how do you know, how do I know if I'm humble? 00:24:08.980 --> 00:24:10.119 How do I know if I'm loving? 00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:11.240 How do I know if I'm joyful? 00:24:11.319 --> 00:24:14.099 Well, it's kind of like you just keep growing in it. 00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:14.339 Right. 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:15.960 You can identify that you're not good at it. 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:16.339 Probably. 00:24:16.700 --> 00:24:18.059 How do I know when I'm grateful? 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:20.420 What keep growing in it is, is the response. 00:24:20.420 --> 00:24:24.420 You can ask somebody, but regardless, we got, we got to grow in our gratitude. 00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:25.079 Yeah. 00:24:27.960 --> 00:24:37.980 You may ask, and we're going to, we're going to, uh, lead in, um, to special missions contribution, but you may ask, well, how is it possible then? 00:24:38.319 --> 00:24:40.259 Like, how do I grow in my gratitude? 00:24:40.259 --> 00:24:50.700 Um, I, I think that it's, it's, I really believe it's not by mistake that Psalm 90 and Psalm 91 are followed by Psalm 92. 00:24:50.740 --> 00:24:54.740 And it's a Psalm that's for the Sabbath day. 00:24:56.579 --> 00:24:58.519 I think we're going to grow in our gratitude. 00:24:58.519 --> 00:25:12.059 It's to understand that we are not all powerful, understand that, that we don't care as much as we want to care and then feel great about giving the rest to God. 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:16.660 We'll read just a little bit in Psalm 92. 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:22.440 It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name. 00:25:22.519 --> 00:25:33.400 Almost high proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night to the music of the 10 stringed lyre and the melody of the harp for you. 00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:35.019 Make me glad by your deeds, Lord. 00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:38.000 I sing for joy at what your hands have done. 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:39.920 How great are your works, Lord? 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:41.940 How profound your thoughts. 00:25:42.819 --> 00:25:44.140 Senseless people do not know. 00:25:44.339 --> 00:25:52.059 Fools do not understand that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they'll be destroyed forever. 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:57.380 But you, Lord, are forever exalted for surely your enemies, Lord. 00:25:57.460 --> 00:25:58.779 Surely your enemies will perish. 00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:01.220 All evildoers will be scattered. 00:26:01.380 --> 00:26:04.160 You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox. 00:26:04.259 --> 00:26:05.720 Fine oils have been poured on me. 00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:08.619 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries. 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:11.900 My ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:19.539 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree and will grow like a Cedar of Lebanon planted in the house of the Lord. 00:26:19.700 --> 00:26:22.019 They will flourish in the courts of our God. 00:26:22.380 --> 00:26:24.380 They will still bear fruit in old age. 00:26:24.440 --> 00:26:27.539 They will stay fresh and green, proclaiming the Lord is upright. 00:26:27.700 --> 00:26:30.759 He is my rock and there is no wickedness in him. 00:26:33.329 --> 00:26:34.549 How do we grow in our gratitude? 00:26:35.190 --> 00:26:46.569 We understand that we can't do what God is able to do and then we start identifying all of the ways that that God is able to do it and that we are not and all the ways that God has worked in your life already. 00:26:47.049 --> 00:26:54.410 You notice the Psalmist, he, he shares, Hey, my enemies, they got removed at some point that you, you made straight my paths. 00:26:54.450 --> 00:26:56.089 You organized all of this stuff. 00:26:56.089 --> 00:26:59.029 And for that reason, I can be grateful to you. 00:27:01.569 --> 00:27:10.589 Sabbath is a time for us to, to praise God Sabbath, you know, being this time of rest for us to praise God and just be in his presence and trust that he's going to work it out. 00:27:10.670 --> 00:27:11.750 And so we don't have to worry. 00:27:15.220 --> 00:27:23.099 I, I put before us that we have the opportunity to do that every week as we give contribution as well. 00:27:23.779 --> 00:27:40.720 And, and right now in a special way as we, as we collect a special missions contribution offering we have the opportunity to give to God and, and know that he's going to do more with our less than we would if we were not to give it all. 00:27:49.809 --> 00:27:58.950 Our, our goal as we, as we collect this special missions, our goal is $20,000 and we're going to collect through the month of September. 00:27:59.809 --> 00:28:06.309 And just a reminder that that 10,000 of that is going to go overseas to foreign missions. 00:28:06.430 --> 00:28:09.910 And we saw a bunch of different videos about that. 00:28:10.650 --> 00:28:12.089 That where's, where is it going? 00:28:12.190 --> 00:28:19.849 And we saw videos of people sharing their small churches being built up by, by what we've been able to give by some of what we've been able to give. 00:28:20.170 --> 00:28:32.230 And then 10 of it stays local as we're we're working to become a self supporting church that we're going to use that for staffing needs or for other other opportunities to continue to grow our, our outreach in Kalamazoo. 00:28:34.089 --> 00:28:35.150 20,000 is a lot. 00:28:35.329 --> 00:28:37.589 We've been, we've hit it every single year that we've, we've done this. 00:28:37.609 --> 00:28:42.569 And I feel, I feel really humbled that, that, that our group has, has done that. 00:28:44.130 --> 00:28:52.950 I'd say we know it, but financial giving is probably one of the easiest gauges to identify where your heart is. 00:28:53.529 --> 00:28:57.069 And I don't mean the number, but the number counts. 00:28:57.589 --> 00:29:00.829 You certainly, you can give financially and have your heart not be in it. 00:29:02.230 --> 00:29:08.190 I don't, you know, we, we've all been in situations where we've given and we're like, man, I just hope, I'm just giving them money so they don't ask again. 00:29:09.569 --> 00:29:11.289 Maybe it's spiritual, maybe whatever reason. 00:29:12.630 --> 00:29:17.769 But if your heart is connected to God, then you're going to get financially to the point of pain. 00:29:18.490 --> 00:29:20.829 That, that, I feel so confident in that. 00:29:20.910 --> 00:29:29.930 And I see, I've looked at the lives of people who I'm closest to or who I admire most and all of them have given in a way that it causes them, it causes them pain. 00:29:29.930 --> 00:29:32.089 It causes their career planning pain. 00:29:32.289 --> 00:29:37.410 It causes their, their kids can't get the absolute best potentially. 00:29:38.349 --> 00:29:40.269 But you give to the point of pain. 00:29:44.609 --> 00:29:58.450 I we're, we're gonna, we're going to pray for the special missions contribution and you can give online at Kalamazoo.church slash give, but then there's going to be a, there's a check, check whatever, like a list basically where you'll just do special missions. 00:29:59.210 --> 00:30:06.950 My, my heart in sharing all of this is not that you feel like, man, if I, I'm, I'm, I'm a bad Christian. 00:30:06.950 --> 00:30:10.250 That's not my heart in going on an extended time of sharing it. 00:30:10.670 --> 00:30:22.450 My heart is just to try to bring, like, I think this is some of my job as a minister is to be able to share all of what God is saying and all of what Jesus says in the Bible specifically about money. 00:30:22.529 --> 00:30:26.230 And so we'll we'll pray, we'll collect special missions. 00:30:27.430 --> 00:30:31.029 And and Spencer will have a little, a little bit that you can share. 00:30:31.089 --> 00:30:38.049 If you, if you have a check, just make it out to you can make it out to Kalamazoo church of Christ, put in the memo, special missions. 00:30:39.410 --> 00:30:43.049 If you don't have it with you or if you're like, I need to study this more, I don't feel convicted. 00:30:43.450 --> 00:30:43.970 That's okay. 00:30:44.289 --> 00:30:47.569 You can talk to me or talk to somebody and we can, we can work through that. 00:30:47.690 --> 00:30:53.089 Why don't we pray for our, our giving right now and then we'll be dismissed. 00:30:53.170 --> 00:30:53.329 Amen. 00:31:01.019 --> 00:31:04.400 Dear God, Lord, God, we come before you. 00:31:04.460 --> 00:31:07.960 And I, I know that, Lord, we're rich father. 00:31:08.140 --> 00:31:08.539 We're rich. 00:31:08.700 --> 00:31:15.220 We're rich with with our time, with our health, with our intellect, Lord, we're, we're rich. 00:31:15.380 --> 00:31:22.740 And with our, our connection to, to each other, Lord, we are, we're rich in so many ways. 00:31:22.740 --> 00:31:31.779 Father, we're so grateful for, for you, for providing for us, deciding that we're worthy to be good stewards of what you've given us, Lord. 00:31:32.319 --> 00:31:33.980 What a great man. 00:31:34.079 --> 00:31:34.859 What a great honor. 00:31:35.859 --> 00:31:37.740 What a great responsibility, Lord. 00:31:37.819 --> 00:31:40.480 I want to pray for our giving. 00:31:41.140 --> 00:31:44.099 I just want to pray for our hearts, maybe more than even our giving Lord. 00:31:44.180 --> 00:31:51.319 I pray that our hearts can be those that just out of the overflow, there's great gratitude, Lord, out of the overflow. 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:57.079 There's a desire to help to the point of causing us pain, Lord. 00:31:57.180 --> 00:32:06.279 And to the point of, of messing with our plan for ourselves, Lord, I pray that you will, you'll compel us to do that, Lord. 00:32:06.380 --> 00:32:09.700 I pray that, Lord, I pray that we'll get on your time. 00:32:09.819 --> 00:32:11.180 We'll get on your calendar. 00:32:11.180 --> 00:32:16.599 We'll get on your budget, whatever that looks like, Lord, we, we know that you're King. 00:32:17.000 --> 00:32:18.119 We know that you're good. 00:32:18.359 --> 00:32:19.640 We know that you're big. 00:32:19.700 --> 00:32:22.440 We know that we can't out give you Lord. 00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:29.359 I just want to pray for us to grow in what the Bible says in our grace of giving Lord. 00:32:29.480 --> 00:32:31.960 Thank you so much for the opportunity to give. 00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:35.099 Thank you God that we are in a spot that we're able to give Lord. 00:32:36.319 --> 00:32:38.839 Father, we love you and Jesus. 00:32:39.180 --> 00:32:40.240 This is in your name that we pray. 00:32:40.460 --> 00:32:40.599 Amen. 00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:42.440 Awesome. 00:32:42.940 --> 00:32:43.079 Um, yeah. 00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:43.500 C. 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:47.700 Spencer, if you need with that, we are dismissed parents. 00:32:47.859 --> 00:32:48.779 Please pick up your children. 00:32:54.180 --> 00:32:58.740 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:32:59.099 --> 00:33:02.400 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:10.019 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:33:10.140 --> 00:33:12.619 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.