WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:00.800 How are we doing? 00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:02.560 Man, it's good to see you. 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:04.320 Let me add my word of greeting to Pastor Earlier. 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:05.120 My name is Chris Cooper. 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:08.320 I have the privilege of being the lead pastor here at United City. 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:13.359 I want to just add uh my words as well to his about the card that you have in your seat. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:18.480 Just again remind you to use these to invite and include and bring people along with you. 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:21.359 Let me just walk you through the schedule for Holy Week. 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:23.120 We are beginning into Holy Week. 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:24.640 Today is Palm Sunday. 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:31.760 It is the time when the church calendar, whenever we begin to celebrate the fact that Jesus made us triumphal entry into the city. 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:35.039 And then, of course, all week long follows along with Holy Week. 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:42.399 And I just want to let you know Friday night is going to be a special service of baptism and Lord's Supper at 6.30 in this room. 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:43.439 Everybody is invited. 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:44.880 Want to encourage you to be a part of that. 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:48.079 That is separate from our other Easter services this weekend. 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:51.200 So if you one like to be baptized, be sure to contact our office. 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:54.399 We'd love to talk to you about that and schedule you for Good Friday. 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:58.560 And then on Saturday night, it's our first of four English services. 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:04.959 We're going to have one at 6 o'clock on Saturday night and then at 8:30, 10, and 11:30 on Sunday morning. 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:07.280 8:30, 10, and 11:30. 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:12.560 We're encouraging everyone to attend one service and serve at least one service. 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:15.519 So if you can help us out by doing that, uh, we would appreciate that. 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:21.040 But most importantly, I want to ask you to do this to come and to use this card to personally invite somebody else. 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:24.719 You never know what a simple invitation to an Easter service can do. 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:26.239 It's going to be an incredible time. 00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:32.239 Uh, as we look in the book of 1 Peter chapter 1 at the resurrection of Jesus, it's going to be a great, great morning. 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:33.359 Grab your Bibles, though. 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:35.760 Let's open them up to 1 Peter chapter 5. 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:37.200 First Peter chapter 5. 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:45.040 I want to take this opportunity to greet all of our men and women at the correctional facilities, those joining us on the Pando app and those online today. 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:47.040 Let's give them a hand and celebrate. 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:53.920 I talked last service to a first-time guest who told me that they've been watching our services for months. 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:58.959 We know so many of you may be kicking the tires, and I want to let you know we'd love to have you here in the building as well. 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:04.640 Uh, for those of you that are watching us uh online and so grateful just to be able to bring this uh each and every week to you. 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:11.599 Um my family, ever since uh I've been married, we have gone uh and taken some family vacation in the summers to Colorado. 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:12.800 We just love Colorado. 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:19.680 My wife grew up always going to Colorado, and so I kind of uh got grafted into that and have just learned to love the mountains of Colorado. 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:36.240 And uh, in light of that, if you've ever been to the mountains in Colorado, and particularly the ski areas, uh you may not realize this, but what they actually do is they convert all of the ski runs that they usually have during the wintertime, and in the summertime they convert those into mountain bike trails. 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:37.520 It's a pretty cool thing. 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:41.199 Uh in fact, every year as we've gone to Colorado, we've ridden the gondola up. 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:47.039 I've always kind of watched uh in in in just like excitement of seeing these people where they're gonna go. 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:54.879 They they got their bikes, they bring them up to the very top of the mountain, and then at various levels of difficulties, you've got your greens, you've got your blues, you've got your blacks. 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:58.240 Ski runs are also now these mountain bike trails. 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:02.000 I'm kind of a sucker for any kind of like thrill or adventure. 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:03.439 I'm always looking for something like that. 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:11.280 So I've always wanted to do this, but it's never worked out because of either timing or my kids weren't old enough or my family didn't want to do it. 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:17.439 And so I have year after year after year just kept dropping hints that hey, I would really love to do this. 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:18.960 Like this would be so much fun. 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:19.840 We should go and do it. 00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:31.919 I think Hillary just got tired of hearing me bring it up, and so last year she kind of let all the kids know we were all gonna go on one of those mountain bike trips down the mountain in Colorado. 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:34.479 Now, I need to give you a little bit of a heads up, okay? 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.439 I have been called before by my family. 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:42.639 I don't think it's true, but my family has said that I can be a little intense. 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:46.400 They've said that I can be a little competitive. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:54.560 And they said that basically the previous bike ride experiences that we have had, they would claim have not gone well. 00:03:54.719 --> 00:03:55.840 I thought they've gone great. 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:57.360 I've actually had a really good time. 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:03.360 They would say that I have left them and gone super fast while they're just kind of go behind. 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:07.680 And it's really me having a bike ride and them just doing their own trip. 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:12.080 And so we didn't have a whole lot of necessarily uh good history going into this. 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:15.599 So I was determined that I was gonna make this different. 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:19.120 I went up to the guy there at the ticket counter and I said, Hey, here's the deal. 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:24.319 I know my family, they're gonna do this one time, check off the box, and they're never gonna do this ever again. 00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:28.639 So I need you to tell me what is a trail that they can actually do. 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:30.800 And he said, Well, there's two different ones. 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:33.920 There's one green that's just this little loop, like right here. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:35.439 That's all it is, just little loop. 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:39.279 He said, The other one is a much longer loop. 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:41.120 In fact, it goes pretty far. 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:43.279 However, it's pretty easy the whole time. 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:48.560 Well, I knew I'm only gonna get one shot at this, so I told my family, I got the perfect trail, let's go. 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:50.399 Going on the longer route. 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:52.000 And so we get on our bikes. 00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:55.759 We've never ridden these bikes before, we've never had bikes on a mountain. 00:04:55.839 --> 00:05:00.399 They're a little bit different than your normal bikes that you might ride here in this Northeast Houston area. 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:10.240 They've got shocks that are really kind of ready to absorb a lot of, you know, friction that you might have as you're kind of riding down a mountain on different bike trails. 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:13.360 They've got new gears and they've got brakes and all this stuff. 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:20.160 So we're kind of trying to figure out how to learn how to use the bike while we're going down the mountain. 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:22.480 What could possibly go wrong? 00:05:22.639 --> 00:05:22.959 Okay? 00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:48.000 So we start off on our trip and we go about five minutes in, we come down to a little area that wasn't crazy, but it was a little bit of a turn, and one of my kids was doing it a little bit too fast, began to skid out, rolled into one of the other kids, knocked them both down, and they both fell off of their bikes and began to skid on the ground on the trail. 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:50.639 And at that point, I knew this is gonna be a nightmare. 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:54.079 Like it's gonna be an absolute nightmare in every way. 00:05:54.319 --> 00:06:01.439 And instead of them just kind of getting up and brushing off all of the different things that they they had and having a good attitude to finish, it started. 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:05.360 Dad, this always happens every single time we go with you. 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:07.120 Why did you bring us on this trip? 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:08.560 Why did you make us do this? 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:10.000 How long is this going to be? 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:14.879 And it just started, and they were just on me from that moment forward. 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:19.199 Now, as we can ago, here's the thing, you gotta remember, I've never done this before. 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:21.759 I have no idea how long it's going to take. 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:23.920 I don't know where the rough spots are. 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:28.639 I'm just going off the guy who told me this is supposed to be the easiest route. 00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:36.879 And so now as we're going downhill and we go up to certain turns, they're thinking it's imminent death on the horizon. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:42.000 And I'm like letting off the brakes and I am flying down the mountain. 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:43.360 Like, this is a blast. 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:47.360 Like, this is so, it's exactly what I envisioned that it would be. 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:51.279 We we, as we're going along the route, we go up to a fork in the road. 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:55.040 And I felt like I remembered that we were supposed to go left, not right. 00:06:55.120 --> 00:07:01.120 And so we went left, and as we're going along left, we come around another corner, and I noticed that it was uphill. 00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:10.079 Now, because I had basically let off of the brake, like you're supposed to, and I was going fast, I was able to go pretty far up the uphill spot without really any challenges. 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:15.439 My family, however, who were all scared to death, hated my guts, couldn't stand the trip. 00:07:15.600 --> 00:07:19.759 They basically had been very cautious and had not gotten a lot of momentum. 00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:29.839 So, because of that, they got to the uphill part, did not have the momentum that they needed, and they instead had to get off their bikes and start pushing and walking the bike uphill. 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:36.720 I get to the very top of the of the of the uphill part, and I asked somebody there, hey, tell me where such and such a trail is. 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:40.639 And they said, Oh, you remember back at the tr that the fork in the road? 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:43.519 You were supposed to go right, not left. 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:48.800 So then I had to go tell my family, hey, we gotta go around. 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:51.120 And then you guys gotta go back downhill. 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:55.439 And you can just imagine they weren't praising me for my leadership in that moment, okay? 00:07:55.759 --> 00:07:59.839 Weren't telling me how much they appreciated that I did all this work to try to figure out where to go. 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:02.079 It was just a bad experience. 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:04.879 We got all the way down to the very bottom of the mountain. 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:10.079 They're all laid out there, basically looking as though I had tortured them or something. 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:11.360 And I just threw out there. 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:13.680 I said, Hey guys, I'm gonna go up and do another run. 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:14.959 Does anybody want to go with me? 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:26.560 And none of my family even dignified the question with the response, other than one of my children who said, I will never go on a bike ride with you for the rest of my life. 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:36.879 This morning we're continuing nearing the end of our series called Nomad in the book of 1 Peter, and we're gonna be looking at 1 Peter chapter 5. 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:43.679 The book of 1 Peter is about a series, uh, it's a it's a letter written to a group of people that are nomads. 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:49.200 They're people who are in the world, but they're not supposed to be of the world. 00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:54.720 These are people who are not finding themselves praised and celebrated for their faith and for their beliefs. 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:57.279 Instead, they find themselves marginalized. 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:00.320 They find themselves on the edge, on the outskirts of society. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:07.519 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 6 says that they're experiencing trials of various kinds. 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:25.360 And what you see in 1 Peter chapter 5 are some instructions that have followed through a number of different instructions along the way, speaking to a suffering people, trying to get them essentially to hang on, to not give up, to not throw in the towel. 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:37.519 You see, as we were going down the mountain, part of the struggle that we had in this situation was that there was no halfway point where you could basically pull over and a train would come and get you and take the family down. 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:39.120 We had one option. 00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:43.679 All of us had to go down together. 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:50.399 In 1 Peter 5, it's speaking to a group of people who are facing a downhill journey. 00:09:50.799 --> 00:10:11.039 A journey that's gonna have moments of going uphill and moments of going fast downhill in terms that they do not know where they are coming from or when they are going to come, and we see that ultimately the question that is being asked and wrestled through is this can God be trusted? 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:20.320 My kids on that bike ride lost trust in me, they lost belief in me, they lost confidence in me. 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:43.919 And so, because of that, while we all had one option, which was you all had to go down, it was miserable, it wasn't any fun, and it was a time where it was constant questioning of why did you get me into some of you came in today, and that's exactly where you are. 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:53.120 You're in the middle of a journey, you're in the middle of a trial, in the middle of a struggle, you're in the middle of a time of suffering. 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:56.240 And the entire time you're thinking this. 00:10:57.039 --> 00:10:58.879 God, why did you get me into this? 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:01.440 Can I trust you? 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:07.360 And you find yourself in a place where you have lost your confidence in him. 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:17.600 And because of that, the ride feels miserable, feels long, and you just wonder, how can I get out of this? 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:32.799 We're gonna begin reading in 1 Peter chapter 5, in verse, the end of verse 5, and I want you to see this main truth today that God can be trusted. 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:35.919 Let's begin reading at the end of verse 5. 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:40.799 It says, clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another. 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:45.840 For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:52.399 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you. 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:57.919 Casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:01.360 Be sober-minded and be watchful. 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:07.919 Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 00:12:08.399 --> 00:12:08.960 Resist. 00:12:10.080 --> 00:12:16.799 Firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:30.399 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who's called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:33.039 To him be the dominion forever and ever. 00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:34.799 Amen. 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:51.279 The context of 1 Peter chapter 5, it actually begins by speaking to leadership and specifically church leadership, and it's essentially saying that church leadership is going to be held accountable for how they lead people towards this truth that God can be trusted. 00:12:51.840 --> 00:13:02.000 He's essentially saying that your responsibility, if you are in church leadership, is to remind people, point people, tell people on an ongoing basis, hey, I want you to know this. 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:06.399 You need to follow me as I follow God because God can be trusted. 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:09.519 At the end of verse 5, it begins to make a shift. 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:21.440 And the shift goes from church leadership to now all of us, and how one, we're gonna follow church leadership, and specifically how we are going to follow the ultimate leader that is God. 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:25.360 What you see in this passage is two different views of God presented. 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:32.240 You see one view of God that says this God can be trusted and he should be followed. 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:41.519 You see another view of God, which is given by the enemy, who's the thief, who's the liar, who is the deceiver, and he essentially says this you can't trust God. 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:46.799 You should question God, and you for sure should not follow him. 00:13:47.519 --> 00:14:10.399 I want to give you three things from this passage today, three principles that you can uh hang on to that are gonna allow you, when you were on that downhill ride and you have no other options but to go down with the guy that brought you there, how you are to respond that allows you to enjoy the ride rather than endure the ride. 00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:16.480 First thing is this I can trust God's strength. 00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:20.799 I can trust God's strength. 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:25.519 As we were headed down the mountain, my family dynamics began to start to play out. 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:41.039 You had some of my family members who began to get very anxious, who began to get very afraid because of that one specific crash and the views which were stunning but also very breathtaking and scary, they began to, in their mind, begin to think this. 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:43.200 I'm gonna die today. 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:46.080 And I'm gonna die right here. 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:52.320 They didn't say a whole lot, they began to get rather quiet, they wouldn't look up at me and make any sort of eye contact. 00:14:52.480 --> 00:15:04.240 You could just tell as we began to go downhill or began to go towards certain times, they were just being extremely cautious because in their mind they were beginning to think, this is how it's gonna end, right here, in this moment. 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:06.320 And they began to be anxious. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:12.320 The other part of my family dynamics began to play out because the other ones weren't anxious, they instead began to get angry. 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:12.799 All right? 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:15.440 They began to respond to me and be like, Where are we going? 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:16.720 Where are you taking me? 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:17.840 Let me see the map. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:26.320 And essentially, what you saw was two different reactions, one of anxiety and one of arrogance, but both saying the same thing. 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:29.519 Dad, we don't trust you. 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:34.559 Dad, we've lost trust in you. 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:36.000 Let me ask you a question. 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:42.399 When things get tense and when things get tight, what do you do? 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:49.919 When struggles and trials and difficulties and things pop up in your life, how do you respond? 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:52.159 Let me tell you what I do. 00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:56.000 I immediately grab the wheel and say, Hey, you're not doing a good job. 00:15:56.159 --> 00:15:57.519 I'll take it from here. 00:15:57.840 --> 00:15:59.519 You can't be trusted. 00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:04.720 You aren't strong enough, you aren't experienced enough, you aren't doing this the way that I want you to do it. 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:11.840 And so, therefore, I'm gonna go ahead and take the wheel and I'm gonna go take it back over, and I'll take over from here. 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:22.799 Some of you though, what you may do is you may fret and stew and ponder, stay up and begin to think and analyze over and over again your situation. 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:24.960 And here's the thoughts going around in your head. 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:33.279 This is about to happen, and then this is about to happen, and then this is about to happen, and then this is about to happen. 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:44.639 And at the end of that strategy, you know what you look up and you feel fearful, afraid, and anxious, and you have no concept of peace. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:54.879 What I want you to see in verse six, it's very important in the beginning of that verse, it says to humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. 00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:58.720 The word humble ourselves is a word that has a double meaning here. 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:08.400 What it's saying is this it's saying that this is something that we are to willingly choose to do while also knowing it is being done to us. 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:16.400 We know this is the case because if you look back at verse 5, there's a command that tells us that we are to not respond opposite of humbling ourselves. 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:20.720 It says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:22.000 What is he trying to say here? 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:32.640 That if you try to bow up and to tell God what you're gonna do and how you're gonna do it and what he needs to do in your life, let me just go ahead and give you a heads up. 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:45.039 God will humble you, he will remind you that you are not in charge, and he will show you through his grace the need for you to be humbled. 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:54.240 But the idea here is not just that I am humbled, but instead that I am to offer my life and humble myself ahead of time. 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:57.599 How in the world would I ever choose to do this? 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:03.759 Second phrase, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:14.079 You're never gonna do the first part of verse six unless you memorize, think about, and dwell on the second phrase in verse six, which is the mighty hand of God. 00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:35.599 And when you begin to remind yourself and dwell and think about the promises of God, then it allows you to be able to willingly choose to know I can humble myself before the Lord because I know he's got this, because I know he can handle this, because I know that this is big to me, but it's not big to him. 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:38.400 There's two competing ideas going on. 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:46.319 What you see is verse six, the mighty hand of God being compared to verse nine, the roaring of the lion. 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:55.839 I've never actually seen a lion other than in a zoo, and in a lion and a zoo, the only thing I've ever seen a lion do is lay down and sleep or hide. 00:18:55.920 --> 00:18:58.079 That's the only two things I've ever seen a lion do, okay? 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:02.240 But I've watched enough National Geographic, I've watched enough YouTube clips to know this. 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:05.759 When a lion roars, everybody knows. 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:15.440 Like it is an intimidating, it is loud, it is meant to cause fear in all of the animal kingdom. 00:19:15.599 --> 00:19:18.720 It is a way of sort of establishing the boundary lines. 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:21.839 Don't you get cocky or think anything different? 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:23.519 I'm in charge. 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:34.160 And that lion's roar is so loud, it can begin to cause fear, even if that fear isn't warranted with facts. 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:42.319 Some of you, today you walked in and the lion's roaring really loud. 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:46.640 In fact, that's actually all you hear. 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:53.359 It's so loud, it's ringing in your ears. 00:19:54.079 --> 00:20:03.119 The Bible tells us and tells us shows us all the time that this is why we are not to trust our feelings, but instead we are to press in on truth. 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:05.279 And let me tell you what the truth is. 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:08.160 Uh, Deuteronomy chapter 3, verse 24. 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:13.359 Oh Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:19.279 For what God is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:22.480 That is not meant to be a question that is begging for an answer. 00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:24.240 That is meant to be this answer. 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:25.279 Nobody. 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:28.079 There's no other God that can do that. 00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:36.559 Jeremiah 32, verse 17, Ah, Lord God, it is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:39.599 Nothing is too hard for you. 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:42.400 Luke chapter 1, verse 51 and 52. 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:44.319 He has shown strength with his arm. 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:52.079 He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts, he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:53.680 You will have a choice. 00:20:53.920 --> 00:21:09.440 You will either listen to the roar of the enemy who is gonna lie to you and intimidate you and try to cause you to respond in fear, or you are gonna humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and know this God will strengthen you. 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:13.119 Trishan we don't ever forget this. 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:16.880 You can trust God's strength. 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:18.799 Look at the second thing. 00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:22.480 I can trust God's timing. 00:21:23.359 --> 00:21:24.720 I can trust God's timing. 00:21:24.880 --> 00:21:26.319 Look again at verse 6. 00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:32.960 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so at the proper time he may exalt you. 00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:34.880 The beginning of verse 6 is hard. 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:37.680 We can do it because of the next phrase in verse 6. 00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:40.000 You then fast forward to the end of verse 6. 00:21:40.160 --> 00:21:41.920 That's the best part of all. 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:43.359 He will exalt you. 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:51.680 So you're saying that if I humble myself, if I put myself in that position, then I can trust that at the end of the time, God's going to exalt me. 00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:53.039 And we love that part. 00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:55.920 We love it when the debts are covered. 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:58.400 We love it when the relationship is restored. 00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:00.960 We love it when the marriage Is strengthened. 00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:03.359 We love it when the cancer is gone. 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:10.960 We love it when God begins to show up and show off and exalts us and performs great miracles in our lives. 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:14.799 We all would agree the end of verse six is not the problem. 00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:17.759 It's the phrase in front of the end of verse six that's the problem. 00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:22.160 At the proper time. 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:28.880 After that first crash, five minutes into our bike ride, we started going. 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:32.160 How much longer? 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:34.960 Here's the deal. 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:37.039 I've never been on this before. 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:40.079 I had no idea how long it was going to be. 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:50.000 How much longer. 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:54.079 Like I can do this right now? 00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:56.799 Like, how long am I going to have to do this? 00:22:57.359 --> 00:22:58.640 Like I can endure? 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:00.880 But how long are we talking here? 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:12.000 And the entire time I'm asking the Lord, but instead of me being like I was on that bike ride where I did not know the answer, God actually knows the answer to that question. 00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:14.319 And here's what he so often says to me. 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:17.599 And if I had to guess, he says the same thing to you. 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:20.000 When is it asked? 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:23.279 Can I just be honest? 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:25.119 I hate that answer. 00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:28.240 I can't stand that answer. 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:36.559 Because for me, if the answer isn't right now, or if the answer isn't this moment, or if the answer isn't yesterday, it's too late. 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:44.640 In my mind, I look at the situation and I think that God needs to show up and He needs to show off, but he also needs to do it right now. 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:46.799 And if I was honest. 00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:57.039 The majority of the times of greatest growth and significance and closeness to the Lord in my life have not been during times of victory and success. 00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:02.720 They've been during times of hard and difficult. 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:15.920 You can trust Tabac chapter 2, verse 3 says this, for still the vision awaits. 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:16.880 It's a point in time. 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:19.200 It hastens to the end, it will not lie. 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:22.319 If it seems slow, wait for it. 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:24.480 It will surely come. 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:26.480 It will not delay. 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:29.200 Second Peter chapter 3, verse 8. 00:24:29.359 --> 00:24:36.720 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day it is a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:50.240 Look at verse nine. 00:24:58.000 --> 00:24:58.799 He's waiting. 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:08.319 He's willing to pass on an opportunity to take you down right now, even if it means that he can have greater impact than taking you down right now. 00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:10.640 He is patient. 00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:13.039 He is a personality. 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:14.160 He's personal. 00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:18.480 When the line goes on a hunt, I don't announce it to everyone. 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:19.359 Hey, guess what? 00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:22.799 Hide or not, here I come. 00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:28.160 Hiding in the shadows. 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:30.480 Hiding in the rocks. 00:25:31.039 --> 00:25:34.640 Waiting and watching your every single move. 00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:41.519 With the goal of finding you at a place when you are the most vulnerable and the weakest. 00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:44.000 So that he can pounce. 00:25:45.119 --> 00:25:48.400 You know, the enemy, he really doesn't have a lot of new tactics. 00:25:48.720 --> 00:25:54.640 You think about it to Adam and Eve in the garden in Genesis chapter 3, it says that the serpent came up to Adam and Eve and he said this. 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:56.160 Hey, did God really say that? 00:25:56.960 --> 00:26:00.559 I mean, I know what he said, but like, did he really mean that? 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:03.279 Like, don't you think maybe you could have possibly meant this? 00:26:03.359 --> 00:26:15.839 And the entire time what they're trying to do is take Adam and Eve from obeying and following the goodness that God wanted to give them, and instead to question God, and that's exactly what he does to us. 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:17.839 He makes us say, Did God really say that? 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:20.000 Like, did God really mean that? 00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:23.759 And if he really meant that, like, do you wonder maybe why he's taking so long? 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:26.559 Like, why do you think he's not being faster about this? 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:28.799 Or why do you think he's not being more aggressive about this? 00:26:28.960 --> 00:26:36.000 And all along you begin to question him, and you begin to question the Lord, and that is when the enemy will pounce. 00:26:36.799 --> 00:26:42.319 Instead, we must believe this to be true, even if we don't feel it and like it. 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:45.759 I can trust God's timing. 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:48.319 Look at verse 7 again. 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:55.279 This is casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. 00:26:56.160 --> 00:27:00.799 The final principle that I want you to see today is this I can trust God's care. 00:27:01.599 --> 00:27:03.200 I can trust God's care. 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:14.400 I find this so comforting to know that in the midst of suffering, in the midst of trial, in the midst of struggle. 00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:22.000 I don't want it to be the case, and I know I shouldn't think this way, but there's times that fear is gonna enter in. 00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:24.160 Anxiety is gonna enter in. 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:31.599 And God doesn't look at me and get mad at me for having those things. 00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:36.319 Like I want you to hear that today for those of you that may be feeling these things. 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:39.279 Like you, God doesn't look at you and say, What's wrong with you? 00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:42.880 Are you unspiritual that you you you can't believe in me? 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:44.720 Like, why would you have these things? 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:46.240 Like, why would you believe these things? 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:48.720 Don't you know that you're not supposed to feel this way? 00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:51.200 Don't you know that you're not supposed to grieve like this? 00:27:51.359 --> 00:27:53.359 Don't you know that you're not supposed to act like this? 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:57.279 He doesn't get onto you and call you less than or unspiritual. 00:27:57.519 --> 00:28:04.640 He knows even if these things aren't real, these things are even if these things aren't true, these things are real to you. 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:07.519 And here's what he says that you're supposed to do with them. 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:10.079 Cast them on him. 00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:18.880 He doesn't say that you're supposed to grab them, get them in your hands, and then just kind of go up there and place them and then get away as fast as you possibly can. 00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:25.119 He doesn't say that you're supposed to take these things and just kind of drop them off and just act like it's it's it's no big deal. 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:28.799 He says you are to get them and literally cast them. 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:30.160 It's a fishing term. 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:39.759 Now, I'm not a fisherman, I don't I I've fished before, but but what I what I remember from when I have been taught to fish is I'm just again, some of you fishermen are about to judge me here. 00:28:39.920 --> 00:28:43.200 Just think your old school fisherprice basic cast, okay? 00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:45.119 You got the little push button and stuff like that. 00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:52.400 What you do is you you grab it, right, and you you hold it back over your shoulder, and then you're supposed to throw it, right? 00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:55.440 Okay, you you're just supposed to cast it literally out. 00:28:55.599 --> 00:28:57.119 In fact, I want everybody to get your hands free. 00:28:57.200 --> 00:28:59.039 Get your hands free like this, okay? 00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:04.400 I want you to put your hands like you're getting on a Fisher Price little fishing pole. 00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:05.920 Get your fishing pole. 00:29:07.599 --> 00:29:10.960 Some of you are like, I would never have a Fisher Price fishing pole. 00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:14.559 I only fish with$500 rods, okay? 00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:16.240 Good for you. 00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:19.440 All right, here's what I want you to do, alright? 00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:22.240 Get your get your rod ready, get it back, okay? 00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:23.200 Get it back. 00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:25.680 And then I want you to cast it. 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:26.640 Cast it. 00:29:27.440 --> 00:29:28.880 All right, first of all. 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:34.799 We don't we don't need all the sound effects, all right? 00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:45.519 I don't know a lot about fishing, but I think wrist action is a thing, and some of you have some pretty good wrist action there. 00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:46.640 I just want you to know that, alright? 00:29:46.880 --> 00:29:48.079 Okay, so that was cute. 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:51.519 You guys maybe kind of got it out like right up in front of you, no big deal. 00:29:51.680 --> 00:29:59.599 I want you to now visualize a pond that's like a really big pond, and I want you to think I'm gonna cast it in such a way where I'm gonna throw it to the other side of that pond. 00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:01.519 Okay, so everybody get your get your hands ready. 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:03.359 I want you to get your get it rear back ready. 00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:05.599 I've got my my my fishing pole, okay? 00:30:05.759 --> 00:30:09.920 And I'm gonna count to three, and I want you to launch it all the way across the pond. 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:11.519 All right, everybody doing it, okay? 00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:12.240 Ready? 00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:14.559 One, two, three. 00:30:17.680 --> 00:30:18.000 Okay. 00:30:21.039 --> 00:30:23.519 FYI, for some of you, you're in the trees. 00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:24.559 Just FYI. 00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:26.480 Wanted you to know that. 00:30:29.440 --> 00:30:30.720 That was really good. 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:34.160 I want you to close your eyes this time. 00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:38.400 I want you to put your hands out in front of you. 00:30:38.559 --> 00:30:40.400 You're about to get ready to cast. 00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:46.880 And I want you to ponder and I want you to think. 00:30:49.920 --> 00:30:51.759 What kept you up last night? 00:30:56.240 --> 00:30:59.279 What were you anxious about when you walked in the room this morning? 00:31:02.400 --> 00:31:07.519 Is it a relationship that is on the verge of being broken? 00:31:07.920 --> 00:31:09.359 That's tearing you up? 00:31:11.119 --> 00:31:13.440 Is it a wayward son, a wayward daughter? 00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:20.240 A mom or a dad who's you have a broken relationship with? 00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:27.359 Is it a debt that you don't know what you're gonna do? 00:31:31.920 --> 00:31:40.880 Is it a diagnosis where the doctors are trying the best that they can, but it just it's not working? 00:31:43.599 --> 00:31:45.680 Is it the fear of the unknown? 00:31:47.039 --> 00:31:53.039 What am I supposed to do next week, next month, next year, five years from now? 00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:58.319 Whatever that is for you, all of us have it. 00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:06.000 For some of you, it maybe looks bigger to you than somebody else's, and that's okay, that's fine. 00:32:06.079 --> 00:32:07.519 Everybody's got our own pole. 00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:12.240 I want you to hold your hands up, and I want you to get ready. 00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:17.839 This time on the end of that fishing pole, I don't want you to visualize a lure or a bait. 00:32:19.119 --> 00:32:23.920 I want you to visualize that weight. 00:32:24.480 --> 00:32:28.079 God's not telling you that you're less than because you have that weight. 00:32:29.519 --> 00:32:34.640 God's not looking at you disappointed because you're so unspiritual that you think those things. 00:32:34.960 --> 00:32:36.880 He knows those things are real for you. 00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:46.720 One, two, three, cast it. 00:32:50.799 --> 00:32:52.960