WEBVTT 00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:05.280 Thank you for joining us on the CCW podcast. 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:11.039 Make sure you connect with us on social media to stay up to date on ministries and events happening at CCW. 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:14.960 We hope you're encouraged, inspired, and motivated by today's message. 00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:19.120 To find out how to connect with us, keep listening after the message ends. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:24.640 Hit me with a hallelujah if you can hear me. 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:25.920 Only some of y'all did. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:26.399 I need it again. 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:27.920 Hit me with a hallelujah if you can hear me. 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:29.280 Alright, alright. 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:31.440 So I'm gonna get it moving. 00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:36.560 You know, I mean I got, I think that's why Pastor asked me to preach this Sunday, because you know I'd get 10 minutes. 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:39.200 But listen, we're gonna we're gonna go for it. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:40.479 We're gonna go for it. 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:46.719 So um as you guys know, this this series is about um songs and psalms. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:53.679 And so my song that I picked, um, I had a couple different things going on, but um I went old school. 00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:55.759 Anybody know Destiny's Child? 00:00:56.719 --> 00:00:58.960 Some of y'all, some of y'all old people do. 00:00:59.039 --> 00:00:59.840 That's right, that's right. 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:03.520 They got this song that was really good when I was coming up. 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:05.040 It's called Survivor. 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:06.640 Anybody know what I'm talking about? 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:08.560 I'm a survivor. 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:09.760 I'm not come on now. 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:11.439 Y'all gotta help me out, man. 00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:13.519 If you're 30 or younger, you know what I mean? 00:01:13.599 --> 00:01:14.799 You should know what I'm talking about. 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:15.840 I'm gonna try this again. 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:18.159 So I'm gonna say, I'm a survivor, and y'all gonna say what? 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:19.359 I'll just practice. 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:21.040 I'm a survivor. 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:23.040 I'm not gonna give up. 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:24.480 Oh, that was terrible. 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:25.359 That was terrible. 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:28.079 It went different in my head, but it's cool, man. 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:30.400 We you know, we ain't got a whole lot of rhythm, but that's alright. 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:31.120 That's alright. 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:32.560 God still loves you. 00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:41.359 Um, but I picked Psalm 63, and it's a story of David surviving in the wilderness. 00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:46.480 And I believe in this text, David is running from King Saul. 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:53.359 And King Saul is upset because God has anointed David to be the king. 00:01:53.599 --> 00:02:02.159 And David has slain Goliath, and he's killed tens of thousands, and people are starting to sing his praises. 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:09.199 Not only that, he became best friends with Saul's son, and he marries Saul's daughter. 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:15.120 And so in this psalm, I believe uh that he's running for his life. 00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:19.360 King Saul is jealous and wants to take him out. 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:23.599 Um, but David, as we know, is a survivor. 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:29.520 And it got me thinking, when I was in sixth grade, um, I lived at the bottom of Fifth Street Hill. 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:32.560 Now, in Connorsville, this hill was called Snake Hill. 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:34.000 Pastor Rick know I'm talking about. 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:36.159 It was like literally a snake, and it was long. 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:43.360 And so I decided, my friend and I were walking to go play, and we didn't want to go around the whole snake hill. 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:44.960 So we decided to go through it. 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:50.080 Now, while we were walking through it, um we hear this scary sound. 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:54.479 It's like I'm like, we're looking around, like, is that a rat? 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:55.840 Like, what's going on? 00:02:56.000 --> 00:03:07.120 And we look up on the hill, and there's this kid who had the nickname Rat Boy, and he has a spear in his hand, ready to kill something. 00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:13.919 And I'm talking, this dude jumped 50 feet down the ravine after us, and we took off running. 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:22.400 And luckily, we made it to the top of the hill, and we looked back, and he's just staring at us with the spear like this, and he just turns around and continues walking. 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:23.520 And it was scary. 00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:25.919 And I thought I started thinking about it. 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:30.639 The boy was probably five feet and weighed 22 pounds, okay? 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:39.199 There was two of us, we should have jumped him, but we didn't, we just took off running, but gladly we survived because I'm pretty sure he would have ate our hearts if he would have caught us. 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:43.280 But we made it, we survived. 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:45.840 And I I want to I want to tell you something. 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:49.919 David being in the wilderness, it was a physical thing. 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:55.280 Like he literally was in the wilderness, but also it's a spiritual thing for us. 00:03:55.439 --> 00:04:04.719 It is something that we need to think about in our lives because everyone in here will have a moment where you feel like you're just lost in the wilderness. 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:13.120 And that wilderness is it's a dry place, it's a thirsty place, it's a place that's uninhabited, it's a desert place, and it's a bare place. 00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:19.040 So sometimes in our walk, we end up in the wilderness. 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:23.439 And a lot of times it's not because of our own choices. 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:28.160 Sometimes because of the choices of others, we get put into the wilderness. 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:34.639 But I believe that this wilderness that David was in and the same for us, it's just a season. 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:35.199 Right? 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:37.680 He's in this place that's dry and he's alone. 00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:42.079 But here's the truth David didn't remain in the wilderness. 00:04:42.319 --> 00:04:45.360 Eventually, he became the king that God called him to become. 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:49.360 Eventually he became all the things that were planned for his life. 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:54.639 And maybe you're here today, and you feel like, man, I'm just, my marriage is in that wilderness. 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:56.079 Like it's dry. 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:58.399 Like it doesn't feel like anything can grow here. 00:04:58.560 --> 00:04:59.360 No love here. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:01.519 Like we're just making it. 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:04.000 And we may not make it for long. 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:07.839 And maybe your wilderness is your kids. 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:14.959 Maybe they they haven't been following Jesus like you wanted them to, and you had all these great plans, and none of it's working out. 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:18.240 Maybe you just feel lost. 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:29.439 Like you feel like you were following God, and then somehow you got all mixed up and you're just out here just doing life, but you don't feel like you're you have any direction. 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:40.639 And I want to remind you, just like David made it through the wilderness, if we do what God's word says in this text, you and I can make it too. 00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:43.279 So I want to pray and then we're gonna get straight to it. 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:45.600 Um Divinly Father, we come before you. 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:49.759 And God, I pray for every person in here who just feels like they're in the wilderness. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:51.759 Um God, they're just trying to survive. 00:05:51.920 --> 00:05:58.000 Whatever that that looks like for their lives, so we know, God, that you are not finished with us. 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:02.240 God, we know that your plans for us are good. 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:08.639 And Lord, that you're doing something even when we cannot see it, even when we cannot feel you. 00:06:08.879 --> 00:06:12.000 So, Lord, we love you and praise you in Jesus' name. 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:12.720 Amen. 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:18.639 So, our first point is this that we need a real relationship with God. 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:21.360 We need a real relationship with God. 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:25.439 And I'm thinking about this, and how many of y'all in here like fake things? 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:26.319 Anybody? 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:32.240 A couple of y'all, y'all like that, that fake uh lobster or crab, imitation crab, some of y'all like that? 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:34.160 If you do, you're disgusting, okay? 00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:39.839 But I started thinking, what are things that are fake that we don't like? 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:43.759 I started thinking, nobody likes fake Jordans, okay? 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:48.240 My mom took me to a gas station and bought me a$12 pair of Jordans. 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:49.519 And I something wasn't right. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:50.560 I didn't know it at the time. 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:53.920 Until I got to school and they said, why your Jordan sign looked like a Michael Jackson? 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:54.480 I didn't know. 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:55.120 I didn't know. 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:57.680 It was doing the thriller instead of the jump man. 00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:00.879 So some of us, we hate fake news. 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:06.240 Okay, I get tired of getting on Facebook and they say such and such died, and I go and look it up, and they're still alive. 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:06.959 I hate it. 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:10.160 Uh we we hate the fake phone calls. 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:13.439 Hello, you you you your extended warranty is is over. 00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:15.199 We need you to send us your credit card. 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:16.319 We hate that, right? 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:18.879 Some of y'all are smart and you're able to screen calls. 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:19.920 I'm not able to do that. 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:22.800 So I pick it up and I hang up right away. 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:27.279 Um, anybody ever been to somebody's grandmother's house and they got fake fruit? 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:28.079 Anybody? 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:30.480 You ever take a bite of that fake fruit? 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:33.439 That apple just looks so good and then it's styrofoam? 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:34.959 Nobody likes that. 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:40.079 And the the thing that I hate the most is fake money, okay? 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:46.240 Now I was walking one day and I saw a million-dollar bill, and I said, It's my lucky day. 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:49.040 And I picked it up and it was a gospel track on the back. 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:54.000 Okay, I love the gospel track, but I did not like that it was a fake one million dollar bill, okay? 00:07:54.079 --> 00:07:55.120 I don't know if those are real. 00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:55.839 Are they real? 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:56.480 Anybody? 00:07:56.639 --> 00:07:57.199 No, they're not. 00:07:57.360 --> 00:07:58.319 Nobody likes that. 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:00.399 We like real money. 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:05.199 And the last thing I was thinking about, nobody likes somebody who is fake nice. 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:08.079 Okay, I've caught on to a lot of y'all. 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:12.240 When you say bless your heart, it don't mean bless your heart. 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:12.879 Okay? 00:08:13.279 --> 00:08:15.759 Okay, so if you say it to me, I know what you're saying. 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:17.680 All right, nobody likes that. 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:23.279 Um, but the thing is, God doesn't want a fake relationship with you either. 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:26.720 God wants the real thing with you. 00:08:26.959 --> 00:08:35.200 So you can just go to church and you can just do Bible studies and you can say a prayer every once in a while, but that's not the real relationship. 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:35.679 Right? 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:40.000 It's it's walking and talking with God through every circumstance. 00:08:40.159 --> 00:08:46.559 So let's go to Psalm 63, and it says this Oh God, you are my God. 00:08:47.039 --> 00:08:48.399 Early I will seek you. 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:55.919 My soul thirst for you, my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. 00:08:56.080 --> 00:09:04.559 So I have looked for you in the sanctuary to see your power and your glory, because your loving kindness is better than life. 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:09.759 My lips shall praise you, thus I will bless you while I live. 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:13.039 I will lift up my hands in your name. 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:20.080 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips. 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:30.879 When I remember you on my bed I meditate on you in the night watches, because you have been my help, therefore in the shadow of your wings I will rejoice. 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:35.919 My soul follows close behind you, your right hand upholds me. 00:09:36.159 --> 00:09:44.559 But those who seek my life to destroy it shall go into the lower parts of the earth, they shall fall by the sword, and they shall be a portion for the jackals. 00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:48.240 But the king shall rejoice in God. 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:56.000 Everyone who swears by him shall glory, but the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped. 00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:03.120 David and the psami starts out saying, Oh God, you are my God. 00:10:04.159 --> 00:10:05.759 They said it this morning. 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:08.240 Who is Jesus to you? 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:09.039 Right? 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:11.519 Who do you say that he is? 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:14.399 For some of y'all, he's just a quick fix. 00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:26.080 Um, I love my brothers, and you know, they're not necessarily Christians, but my younger brother, whenever things are going wrong, every time without fail, he shows up to church. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:28.480 And God does something. 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:32.080 Then when he gets what he asked for, he's gone again. 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:34.000 That's not what Jesus wants. 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:37.120 He wants us in a real relationship. 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:40.960 God, our first uh sub point is this that God is personal. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:41.360 Right? 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:48.240 He's not just this God who's up here in the clouds and just looking down and hoping you get it right. 00:10:48.639 --> 00:10:51.519 But he's a God who is personal and is in your life. 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:52.559 He is next to you. 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:55.279 He wants to walk and talk with you. 00:10:55.679 --> 00:11:02.960 In Genesis, when when God created everything and he created man, he created them so that he can have a relationship with them. 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:06.559 That he can walk and talk with them. 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:08.639 But we know what happened, right? 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:12.000 Because of sin, Adam and Eve were thrown out of the garden. 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:18.320 And I believe the reason is this, because God loved them so much that he didn't want them to eat from the tree of eternal life, right? 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:22.399 Because if they would have ate from that, we would have been forever separated from God. 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:28.559 But this God who was so personal had a plan already to send Jesus. 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:30.480 And I want to say this. 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:34.960 Some of y'all are just admiring Jesus. 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:46.000 Some of y'all think that he's cool and that he's awesome, and that he does great things, and he's good over there as long as he's not in my personal space. 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:54.080 Like Jesus, you can come into my house, you can sit in the living room, you can even come to the kitchen, but do not go to my bedroom. 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:55.519 It's messy in there. 00:11:55.759 --> 00:11:59.279 And God is saying, no, I want to be in every part of your life. 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:04.159 If you're gonna have a real relationship with God, you need to get personal with God. 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:08.240 I had a friend of mine that I met during the mission serve. 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:17.039 He's a fellow pastor in Virginia, and he sent me this little um picture, and it's a little bean pole, and this big guy trying to hide behind it. 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:22.159 And the caption says this this is us trying to hide our sin from God. 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:24.639 He sees it all. 00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:28.799 And yet he still invites you in closer. 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:32.720 He's not saying, nah, you messed up this way, you can't get close to me. 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:38.399 He said, No, even if you sin, if you will repent and return, come on in. 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:40.159 God is personal. 00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:44.720 He wants to talk with you, walk with you, do life with you. 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:46.080 And I believe this. 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:51.120 If David did not have a personal relationship with God, he wouldn't have made it through the wilderness. 00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:55.279 I believe that he would have just freaked out and just did whoever knows what. 00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:56.320 He would have taken off. 00:12:56.399 --> 00:13:03.759 I don't know what he would have done, but I do not believe he would have made it without this real and personal relationship with God. 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:05.519 And I was thinking about this. 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:07.840 I I had a crush in third grade. 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:11.120 Um, and this girl, she was everything in third grade. 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:13.679 I remember I met her for the first time and I saw her. 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:16.080 I'm like, oh my gosh, this this girl is beautiful. 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:18.000 And I was a little creepy. 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:19.759 Uh I never would talk to her. 00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:21.120 Yeah, look, chill out. 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:30.960 I would never talk to her, but I'd see her in the library and I just hide behind the books and I just look, and and and and I would anytime I could see her, I just would look at her, right? 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:38.559 And I remember there was a moment where my friend was like, uh, Joe, you know, Keanu's around the corner. 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:44.960 I'm like, okay, and I walk around and he told her that I had been telling everybody that she was my girlfriend. 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:47.759 Nah, she went off, okay? 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:49.440 So that crush ended right there. 00:13:49.519 --> 00:13:52.240 Okay, my next crush was my wife Michaela, wherever she's at. 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:56.399 Um, and but it's not enough to just admire somebody. 00:13:56.639 --> 00:14:00.559 It's not enough just to peep around the corner and say, Mmm, so beautiful. 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:06.879 God, you're good on Sunday, but Monday through Friday through Saturday, we're doing what we want to do. 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:10.559 It's about having a real relationship with a real God. 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:15.039 And here's the thing: God can handle your questions. 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:22.639 God can handle your fears, your unbelief. 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:24.480 He can handle that. 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:30.720 And so when we have this relationship with God, we can in the middle of the wilderness say, God, I don't know what you're doing in my marriage. 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:36.399 I don't know why everything is going down, but God, can you help me in this? 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:42.000 God, I don't I don't see you moving, but God, can you show me something? 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:46.399 God, I want to trust that you are good in all your ways. 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:48.559 But this don't feel good. 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:51.600 God can handle that. 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:53.919 And he wants it. 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:57.519 He wants you to come with your questions because he has answers. 00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:02.799 Now it's not enough just to tell him all the things that we think are wrong with the world and all that. 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:06.399 We have to also listen to what he says too. 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:20.480 So when we think about this personal relationship with my wife, right, like I can talk to her about things, I can ask her questions about things, but I better also listen to her questions and to her answers and her responses. 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:21.840 God's the same way. 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:24.000 This communication is two ways. 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:27.919 It's not just we ask him for everything we want and that's it. 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:33.200 But when he gives us answers, we have to receive that. 00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:42.000 The second thing is this that God is present. 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:52.720 And if you look at Psalm 139, it talks about how there's no place that we can go that God is not already there. 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:58.399 There's no place that we can run and hide that He is not there. 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:01.440 God is real, God is personal. 00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:03.039 David knew this. 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:07.279 He said, So I have looked for you. 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:08.159 Right? 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:13.840 In that verse 1, he says that I have sought you, I seek for you, because guess what? 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:16.000 God can be found. 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:18.799 I want y'all to understand something. 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:21.759 God can be seen in everything. 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:28.159 Romans 1 20 says this, for the for the creation of the world is invisible. 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:38.240 Um, his attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and the Godhead, so they are without excuse. 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:43.519 What Romans is saying in that is that you can't look anywhere without seeing God. 00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:48.240 Now, some people want to call him different things, but that doesn't give them excuse. 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:54.559 You cannot look at the mountains, you cannot go to the ocean without seeing God there. 00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:57.519 He is everywhere. 00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:02.799 And he wants us to find him, he invites us to search for him. 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:08.160 But it's not just stopping there, it's not that we can just see God in creation. 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:12.720 The other thing is this that if you're a Christian, he lives inside of you. 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:13.359 Right? 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:19.359 When we look at Jesus, he went to the cross and when he rose from the grave, it said that he was talking to disciples. 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:21.920 He said, I must go so that I may send the what? 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:23.519 The helper. 00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:27.359 God wasn't content with just living around us. 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:30.240 He said, I want to be inside of you. 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:34.160 I want to walk and talk with you. 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:39.680 In the Old Testament, we see that God was with his people in the tabernacle, right? 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:41.119 In the Holy of Holies. 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:42.160 He was with his people. 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:43.519 Before that was a tent. 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:46.160 So everywhere Israel went, God went with them. 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:47.440 And that was cool. 00:17:47.759 --> 00:17:51.759 Jesus came to earth and he walked on this earth, and that was cool. 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:53.440 But you know what was better? 00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:55.920 Jesus being inside of you. 00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:57.519 God being inside of you. 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:06.240 So we don't have to just go to a church to find him, but that everywhere we go, if we're a believer, he's already here and he's doing a work. 00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:07.759 God is present. 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:19.359 And so what that tells us about our situation in the wilderness is that one, we're with a personal God who knows us, who loves us, but two, we're not alone in the wilderness. 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:22.480 And I think somebody here needs to be reminded of that. 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:24.000 I don't know what you're going through. 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:29.839 I don't know if it's your marriage, I don't know if it's your kids, your job, whatever it is, but you're not alone. 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:34.960 He is closer than the skin on your bones. 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:37.680 He's closer than the words on your lips. 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:42.480 And he wants something real with you. 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:45.359 He doesn't want a fake relationship. 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:48.880 And I'm telling you, fake relationships don't get you through cancer. 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:57.119 They don't get you through divorce, they don't get you through your child dying at a young age. 00:18:58.079 --> 00:18:59.920 But a real relationship does. 00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:05.039 A real God gets you through those things. 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:14.319 The second point is this David didn't just have a relationship with God, he had a daily response to God. 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:15.839 So let's go to verse 3. 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:22.640 And it says, This, because of your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you. 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:26.480 Thus I will bless you while I live. 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:29.279 I lift up my hands in your name. 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:34.319 My soul shall be satisfied as marrow and fatness. 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:38.559 My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips. 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:43.759 And when I remember you on my bed, I meditate on you in the night watch. 00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:45.759 Here's the other thing. 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:48.799 We need to bless God with our mouth. 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:49.359 Right? 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:54.000 And I think a lot of times, you know, we hear people say, Oh, worship is more than a song. 00:19:54.160 --> 00:20:03.599 And I agree, it's more than just singing songs, but something happens when we throw up our hands and just praise the Lord. 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:10.559 Something happens in the middle of your situation where you choose to pray instead of complain. 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:16.079 Where you say, God, you are still worthy, even in the wilderness. 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:17.759 God, you are still good. 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:19.440 God, you are still awesome. 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:21.519 You are still mighty. 00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:30.640 Listen, when we worship God, it takes our focus off of our situation and it puts it on God. 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:37.039 It takes our focus off of this situation that has been getting every bit of my attention. 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:41.039 And it says, God, no, you are everything. 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:48.079 Listen, y'all, when we get to heaven, we will be worshiping God for an eternity. 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:50.160 We will get to sing his praises. 00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:56.079 We will get to say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty forever. 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:00.960 But we don't have to wait until we get to heaven to sing his praises. 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:02.799 We can do it now. 00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:06.480 David said, I will bless you with my lips. 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:20.559 I remember in a moment in counseling, in marriage counseling with my wife early on in our first years, and I remember just complaining about my wife, and she does this, she doesn't do that, and just all this complaining. 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:30.640 And I remember the counselor stopped me and he said, Listen, if you change how you speak about your wife, it's gonna change how you think about her. 00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:35.599 And the same is true in our situation and our relationship. 00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:43.279 If I continue to bless God, even when my situation is terrible, it's going to change my focus in my situation. 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:50.799 It's gonna make me think about Jesus and what he's doing because if we focus on our situation, then we miss out what God is trying to do. 00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:59.759 Listen, there is a guy here, and y'all know him, he was on the stage, and this dude all week long, I mean, it's hot, he's sweating, he's working hard. 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:03.359 But every time he'd say, Well, glory. 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:05.440 Well, glory. 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:05.839 Come on. 00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:07.039 Greg, where you at, man? 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:08.000 I don't know where he's at. 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:09.680 Greg, go ahead and stand up, man. 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:11.359 Tell him what you was telling us, man. 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:12.079 Come on. 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:13.599 You gotta stand up and say it. 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:14.960 Come on. 00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:16.000 What was the other thing? 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:17.519 I don't want to mess it up. 00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:23.119 And what else? 00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:24.400 What else? 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:25.359 Yeah. 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:26.400 Yeah. 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:27.440 Yeah. 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:29.119 So all week long. 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:30.720 All week long. 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:34.240 The whole week. 00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:35.440 We're tired. 00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:36.960 We're we're hurting. 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:37.759 We're in pain. 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:38.960 Whatever it is. 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:41.519 But the whole week, we're saying that. 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:45.200 The tomb is empty and the throne is occupied. 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:48.400 We made it through the week because of our worship. 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:51.599 Because we were focused on who we're serving. 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:57.359 That's the second part of it of this is that we're not just blessing God with our words, we're blessing Him with our life. 00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:57.759 Right? 00:22:57.839 --> 00:23:03.119 It's not enough just to sing the songs, but we sing them and we live them. 00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:03.599 Right? 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:04.400 We worship God. 00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:09.759 If we say that God is worthy of all praise, then our life should follow it. 00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:14.319 Sometimes we just get into church and we sing the songs because that's what everybody's doing. 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:18.240 But then we get back home and we do the same thing we were doing and nothing changes. 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:24.000 But if I'll bless him with my mouth and I'll bless him with my life, you best believe something's gonna change. 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:29.599 And it may not be that your situation changes, but it may be that God changes you in your situation. 00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:34.319 He said, Bless him with your mouth. 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:39.680 And I want to go to uh 2 Chronicles chapter 20, and I want to read this verse. 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:41.599 Um Pastor Rick shared this with me. 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:48.400 And when it comes to worship, I want y'all to know this that worship is more than a song, but it's a weapon. 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:48.880 Right? 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:49.839 It's a weapon of warfare. 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:52.799 I want to go to uh verse 14, it says this. 00:23:53.519 --> 00:24:12.880 Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jehezel, the son of Zechariah, and the son of Beniah, and the son of Jeel, and the son of Mataniah, a Levite, the son of Ashva, and in the midst of the assembly, and he said, Listen, all of you of Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehosaphat. 00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:23.599 Thus says the Lord to you, do not be afraid, nor dismay because of the great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. 00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:25.759 Tomorrow go down against them. 00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:36.480 They will surely come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the wilderness of Jarel, and you will not need to fight in this battle. 00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:43.119 Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord who is with you. 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:47.359 O Judah and Jerusalem Jerusalem, do not fear or be dismayed. 00:24:47.440 --> 00:24:51.920 Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you. 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:58.640 And then it goes on to say, Um, praise the Lord for his mercy endures forever. 00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:13.279 Now, when they began to sing and praise the Lord, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated. 00:25:13.440 --> 00:25:15.279 I want y'all to understand something. 00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:20.400 When we worship God, we are doing warfare in the spiritual. 00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:25.359 But I'm not saying that you can go out with somebody has a gun against you and you just sing and they just put their gun down. 00:25:25.519 --> 00:25:30.720 But in a spiritual sense, God is going to trouble the atmosphere. 00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:39.920 When the enemy comes up against you and reminds you of all the lies, reminds you of all the sin, and you say, uh-uh, I'm gonna bless the Lord at all times. 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:45.440 The word says that God inhabits the praise of his people. 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:51.519 Something happens when we call on the name of the Lord in the midst of our situation. 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:56.559 Something happens when we praise him instead of being afraid of what's happening. 00:25:57.279 --> 00:26:02.240 He said, Stand still and see your salvation. 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:05.279 The Lord is with you. 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:10.240 Some of y'all have been trying to fight on your own. 00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:17.359 Some of y'all have been trying to muscle things on your own, and God is saying, listen, that's not the plans I have for you. 00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:18.799 I want you to stand still. 00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:20.960 But God, my finances, I need to do. 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:22.960 No, I want you to stand still. 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:24.480 I want you to worship me. 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:30.880 I want you to continue to live your life for me because I'm doing something even though you cannot see it. 00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:36.640 He says, to worship him with your works. 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:38.640 That's what we did all week. 00:26:38.880 --> 00:26:39.200 Right? 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:44.480 When we were tired and we came back and we had dinner, we would sing songs of praise to God. 00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:51.759 But the next morning, six in the morning, we're eating breakfast and we're right back out worshiping God in our actions. 00:26:52.559 --> 00:27:00.880