WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:04.120 We are finishing our study tonight on the anthropomorphic 00:00:04.120 --> 00:00:06.780 words. So an anthropomorphic word, I'll remind 00:00:06.780 --> 00:00:10.380 you, means it sounds human. So with a hand and 00:00:10.380 --> 00:00:12.320 arms, we studied the hand of God, we studied 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:14.460 the arm of God, the eyes of God, the ears of 00:00:14.460 --> 00:00:16.559 God, all of those things. And tonight you're 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:17.620 going to kind of get a summary. So if you've 00:00:17.620 --> 00:00:19.859 missed them, you can suck up as much of it as 00:00:19.859 --> 00:00:22.600 you possibly can as we go over the summary of 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:27.019 it tonight. Interestingly enough, these words, 00:00:27.100 --> 00:00:29.780 which do not really apply to God, right, because 00:00:29.780 --> 00:00:32.380 God is spirit, so he does not have ears like 00:00:32.380 --> 00:00:34.659 you or I have ears, or hands like your eyes have 00:00:34.659 --> 00:00:36.799 hands. He certainly can if he wants to, but he 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:39.659 is not bound by such a form, okay? And so those 00:00:39.659 --> 00:00:42.460 words that God then uses to describe himself 00:00:42.460 --> 00:00:45.579 teach us really cool things about him, and that's 00:00:45.579 --> 00:00:47.920 what we've been studying for the last seven weeks. 00:00:48.359 --> 00:00:50.200 All right. And so I'll give you the key verse 00:00:50.200 --> 00:00:53.000 for tonight's lesson. And it is not on your paper. 00:00:53.079 --> 00:00:55.200 I'm just telling you what it is. Hebrews 1 .3. 00:00:55.299 --> 00:00:57.960 The sun is the radiance of his glory and the 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:00.619 exact representation of his nature and upholds 00:01:00.619 --> 00:01:03.259 all things by the word of his power. And that 00:01:03.259 --> 00:01:06.980 is a verse about Jesus Christ. And so Jesus came 00:01:06.980 --> 00:01:10.900 in part to show us the wholeness of God, the 00:01:10.900 --> 00:01:13.420 whole person of God. And so we talked about before 00:01:13.420 --> 00:01:16.040 how if you really want to know God, learn more 00:01:16.040 --> 00:01:18.920 about Jesus. Because everything about Jesus tells 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:20.420 us everything that we need to know about God. 00:01:20.519 --> 00:01:23.859 So today, we will bring together the seven lessons. 00:01:24.260 --> 00:01:26.280 And I'll tell you right now, there is not enough 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:29.000 room to put all the notes that you might take 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:31.159 on this lesson on one page. You see there's a 00:01:31.159 --> 00:01:33.040 lot of lines here. And there may even be in some 00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:34.540 places a little bit more lines than you need. 00:01:34.620 --> 00:01:36.280 But there's a lot of lines here. But there's 00:01:36.280 --> 00:01:39.640 a lot that you could take away from a lesson 00:01:39.640 --> 00:01:42.439 on the whole person of God. So we're going to 00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:44.400 dive right in. In the middle, we will have a 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:47.090 stunt. And probably at the end... as well, and 00:01:47.090 --> 00:01:49.129 we will probably not do trivia tonight. We'll 00:01:49.129 --> 00:01:53.849 rotate back and forth. If you finish your worksheet 00:01:53.849 --> 00:01:56.409 at the end, I'll give you two tickets, and then 00:01:56.409 --> 00:01:58.450 we've got some stuff up here that you can win. 00:01:58.510 --> 00:01:59.950 If you don't want it, you can win it and give 00:01:59.950 --> 00:02:02.769 it to somebody else. Generosity is a good thing. 00:02:03.030 --> 00:02:05.989 So number one, the eyes of God. So on the first 00:02:05.989 --> 00:02:08.569 week, we looked at, I'm not 100 % sure that these 00:02:08.569 --> 00:02:12.729 are in the same order that we looked at them. 00:02:12.830 --> 00:02:14.370 I assembled them, but I don't even know if they're 00:02:14.370 --> 00:02:17.120 in the same order. And I also skipped the big 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:19.599 picture notes. So I don't know if any of this 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:21.439 goes on in what I was saying, but I didn't tell 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:23.879 you exactly what to put in the blanks. So the 00:02:23.879 --> 00:02:28.620 big picture essentially is that God could have 00:02:28.620 --> 00:02:30.639 told us, and you don't have to write these words, 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:32.639 that he is omniscient, unpresent, sovereign, 00:02:32.819 --> 00:02:35.699 holy, and loving. Instead, by using these words, 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:38.479 he told us that he's, so this would be your list, 00:02:38.599 --> 00:02:42.219 he sees and hears. So that's number one. He works 00:02:42.219 --> 00:02:45.550 with his hands and his arms saves. So he sees 00:02:45.550 --> 00:02:47.729 and hears. He works with his hand and his arm 00:02:47.729 --> 00:02:50.990 saves. God's face shines upon his people. I know 00:02:50.990 --> 00:02:54.110 that's going by quickly. I apologize. I'll repeat 00:02:54.110 --> 00:02:56.930 them. God's face shines upon his people and God 00:02:56.930 --> 00:02:59.030 speaks with his mouth. So the first one is just 00:02:59.030 --> 00:03:01.330 he sees and hears, right? So that's pretty easy 00:03:01.330 --> 00:03:03.490 to remember. Then he works with his hand and 00:03:03.490 --> 00:03:05.689 saves with his arm. Those go together, hand and 00:03:05.689 --> 00:03:07.909 arm. The third one is God's face shines upon 00:03:07.909 --> 00:03:09.750 his people. And the fourth one is God speaks 00:03:09.750 --> 00:03:14.800 with his mouth. We're going to break those down 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:16.719 a lot better. So it sees and hears on the first 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:19.319 line, hand and arm on the second line, face shines 00:03:19.319 --> 00:03:25.319 on the third line, speaks with his mouth. Now, 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:28.180 the eyes of God. The reference there on the blank 00:03:28.180 --> 00:03:31.060 is Proverbs 15 .3. So on the blank where it says, 00:03:31.139 --> 00:03:33.560 key scripture, write Proverbs 15 .3. And Proverbs 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:36.479 15 .3 says, The eyes of the Lord are in every 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:39.490 place watching the evil and the good. You're 00:03:39.490 --> 00:03:40.990 not writing that in, but that's what it says. 00:03:41.210 --> 00:03:43.729 So the eyes remind us that nothing escapes his 00:03:43.729 --> 00:03:46.969 knowledge or attention. You can imagine the person 00:03:46.969 --> 00:03:48.949 who has the best eyesight probably sees the most. 00:03:49.030 --> 00:03:51.050 That's just the reality of it, right? The person 00:03:51.050 --> 00:03:53.889 who has the most trained mind probably sees the 00:03:53.889 --> 00:03:58.550 most through their eyes. Good eyesight, good 00:03:58.550 --> 00:04:01.840 insight. God is like that. God's eyes are as 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:04.060 big as everything that was ever created, and 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:07.039 I have a lot more. And God has the insight to 00:04:07.039 --> 00:04:09.599 use his eyes to see everything. He can see internally, 00:04:09.800 --> 00:04:13.419 etc. So that's what we learn. The eyes of God 00:04:13.419 --> 00:04:15.780 remind us that nothing escapes his knowledge 00:04:15.780 --> 00:04:19.459 or attention. So you're going to grab out of 00:04:19.459 --> 00:04:21.399 this. Now you've got four dots there. You can 00:04:21.399 --> 00:04:24.459 grab any of these main ideas that catches your 00:04:24.459 --> 00:04:26.420 fancy. I'm going to give you more than four, 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:29.379 so you've just got to pick and choose. At the 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:31.639 end, I'll give you four in a summary, but you 00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:33.120 don't have to use those four. So pick and choose 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:36.019 four things. So God sees what happens publicly. 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:38.439 He sees what happens privately. He sees what 00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:41.660 others overlook. He sees what we attempt to hide. 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:45.480 Actions, motives, obedience, suffering. The verse 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:48.800 says God sees both the evil and the good. And 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:51.740 his perfect vision means that no injustice will 00:04:51.740 --> 00:04:54.319 ultimately be overlooked and no faithful act 00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:55.959 will ultimately be forgotten. Now, for those 00:04:55.959 --> 00:04:57.839 of you who are just linear thinkers and you need 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:00.019 me to give you four exact things to put on those 00:05:00.019 --> 00:05:01.500 lines, and you haven't put anything down there 00:05:01.500 --> 00:05:03.660 yet, here's why. God sees everything. God sees 00:05:03.660 --> 00:05:05.800 everything. That's the first one. God sees everyone. 00:05:06.120 --> 00:05:08.860 There is nowhere to hide from God. He sees everything 00:05:08.860 --> 00:05:11.339 and he sees everyone. God sees what is private, 00:05:11.459 --> 00:05:13.370 too. In other words, God can read what's written 00:05:13.370 --> 00:05:15.769 on the walls of your heart. God sees what is 00:05:15.769 --> 00:05:18.629 private and God sees with perfect understanding. 00:05:18.930 --> 00:05:21.889 So there's no kidding, no deception, no trickery. 00:05:22.129 --> 00:05:24.269 You may not even understand it. You might be 00:05:24.269 --> 00:05:25.709 doing something to yourself and you think, I'm 00:05:25.709 --> 00:05:28.529 doing good. And then God knows better. He sees 00:05:28.529 --> 00:05:30.970 what's actually happening. And then the application 00:05:30.970 --> 00:05:34.050 line there, because God sees everything, we should 00:05:34.050 --> 00:05:36.529 live with integrity when nobody else is watching. 00:05:36.709 --> 00:05:39.470 Someone will arguably say that integrity is... 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:42.000 living right when no one else is watching, but 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:44.160 that's far short of what integrity is. That's 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:46.480 just one proof of integrity, right? So the application 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:49.079 was because God sees everything, we should live 00:05:49.079 --> 00:05:51.680 with integrity when nobody else is watching. 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:55.259 If a person is alone in the woods and he tells 00:05:55.259 --> 00:05:58.060 a lie, is it still a lie? Yes, it's still a lie. 00:05:58.120 --> 00:05:59.519 A lie is a lie. It doesn't matter where you tell 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:00.939 it or who else might be there or who else might 00:06:00.939 --> 00:06:02.339 not be there. If you take something that doesn't 00:06:02.339 --> 00:06:04.100 belong to you, it doesn't matter if you can find 00:06:04.100 --> 00:06:06.860 the person to whom it belonged or not. You still 00:06:06.860 --> 00:06:09.810 take something that didn't belong to you. We 00:06:09.810 --> 00:06:11.529 should live with integrity when no one else will. 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:14.810 All right, number two, the ears of God. So the 00:06:14.810 --> 00:06:18.509 reference there, Psalm 34, 15. Psalm 34, 15. 00:06:19.269 --> 00:06:21.490 And this was that kind of cool one between the 00:06:21.490 --> 00:06:23.069 first two weeks that we saw, because it says 00:06:23.069 --> 00:06:25.329 the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous. 00:06:25.550 --> 00:06:28.189 It says, and his ears are open to their cry. 00:06:28.430 --> 00:06:31.110 So God is not only seeing everything that's happening 00:06:31.110 --> 00:06:32.430 to you. God is seeing everything that's happening 00:06:32.430 --> 00:06:35.120 to everybody, right? But for the righteous. God 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:37.639 is listening closely for what you're saying. 00:06:37.779 --> 00:06:39.720 He wants to know what you need. He wants to know 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:42.079 what you desire. The hope is that you will desire 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:44.439 what he desires. But even if you didn't, God 00:06:44.439 --> 00:06:46.920 is okay with that. You get mad, talk to God when 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:48.660 you're mad. You may say some things that later 00:06:48.660 --> 00:06:50.379 you'll regret, but that doesn't change anything. 00:06:50.420 --> 00:06:53.889 You have a relationship with him. He hears. His 00:06:53.889 --> 00:06:56.509 ears are open to your cry. In that lesson we 00:06:56.509 --> 00:06:58.930 learned, the ears of God remind us that God is 00:06:58.930 --> 00:07:01.310 attentive to his people. In fact, I didn't put 00:07:01.310 --> 00:07:04.709 it in here, but there was one where we looked 00:07:04.709 --> 00:07:06.870 at a certain word, and it was like God was leaning 00:07:06.870 --> 00:07:09.430 down close to listen. And that really spoke to 00:07:09.430 --> 00:07:11.490 my heart and has ever since we did that lesson. 00:07:12.029 --> 00:07:14.709 So he hears our prayers. He hears our cries. 00:07:15.069 --> 00:07:17.430 He hears our praise. He hears our confession, 00:07:17.730 --> 00:07:20.449 our request for help, even the prayers that we 00:07:20.449 --> 00:07:23.639 cannot adequately put into words. Words. God 00:07:23.639 --> 00:07:25.879 hears. So you might be praying sometime, and 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:28.180 you're praying, and you're like, I don't really 00:07:28.180 --> 00:07:30.000 know. And then you're all confused about what 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:33.050 to say exactly. God knows. There's a language 00:07:33.050 --> 00:07:34.970 that goes beyond what you can speak with your 00:07:34.970 --> 00:07:38.750 mouth that God hears. God's hearing is never 00:07:38.750 --> 00:07:41.930 limited by distance, volume, time, or the number 00:07:41.930 --> 00:07:44.170 of people praying. I've had a number of times 00:07:44.170 --> 00:07:46.949 where I prayed all by myself, and God did something 00:07:46.949 --> 00:07:48.610 amazing in response. I've had a number of times 00:07:48.610 --> 00:07:49.910 where I prayed with other people, and God did 00:07:49.910 --> 00:07:52.170 something amazing. I remember once I prayed into 00:07:52.170 --> 00:07:54.449 the carpet, and I could barely hear what I was 00:07:54.449 --> 00:07:56.430 saying. And God did exactly what I asked for. 00:07:56.569 --> 00:07:57.970 And then there have been times where I shouted 00:07:57.970 --> 00:08:00.750 to the clouds. It doesn't matter. God hears, 00:08:00.970 --> 00:08:03.350 right? Especially for those who have accepted 00:08:03.350 --> 00:08:06.069 Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Millions can 00:08:06.069 --> 00:08:08.949 pray simultaneously. God never becomes distracted. 00:08:09.509 --> 00:08:11.629 A couple of quick references that go along with 00:08:11.629 --> 00:08:14.009 that then, and these might actually be your points 00:08:14.009 --> 00:08:18.189 if you like it that way. Psalm 65 .2, O you who 00:08:18.189 --> 00:08:20.750 hear prayer. Talking about God. Psalm 65 .2, 00:08:20.889 --> 00:08:24.569 O you who hear prayer. Psalm 116 .1 -2 says, 00:08:24.829 --> 00:08:28.899 Psalm 116 .1 -2 says, I love the Lord. Because 00:08:28.899 --> 00:08:31.399 he hears my voice. In other words, that trait 00:08:31.399 --> 00:08:33.659 of God is enough for me to fall in love with 00:08:33.659 --> 00:08:35.679 him. If you realize that the God of heaven, the 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:38.320 God of the universe, is listening to you specifically, 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:40.299 that would be enough to make you know women like 00:08:40.299 --> 00:08:42.259 it when men listen to them, and men like it when 00:08:42.259 --> 00:08:46.220 women listen to them, and God listens. The third 00:08:46.220 --> 00:08:52.039 one is Isaiah 59 .1. And it says, His ear is 00:08:52.039 --> 00:08:56.299 not so dull that he cannot hear. If you write 00:08:56.299 --> 00:08:58.080 these references down, you can look them up in 00:08:58.080 --> 00:08:59.919 a Bible and you wouldn't have to try to brush 00:08:59.919 --> 00:09:02.340 to write down all the words. Psalm 652 is the 00:09:02.340 --> 00:09:04.980 first one. Psalm 116 .2 is the second one. And 00:09:04.980 --> 00:09:07.320 Isaiah 59 .1 is the third one. And then the last 00:09:07.320 --> 00:09:10.600 one is 1 Peter 3 .12. And it is sort of a repeat. 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:12.899 It says, The eyes of the Lord are toward the 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:15.240 righteous, and his ears attend to their prayer. 00:09:15.399 --> 00:09:17.940 So that's the New Testament quote of Psalm 34 00:09:17.940 --> 00:09:20.480 .14 is what we started at. I'm going to read 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:23.549 this for you one more time. I'm going to take 00:09:23.549 --> 00:09:28.389 four things in the blanks. Psalm 65 .2, Psalm 00:09:28.389 --> 00:09:34.289 116 .1 -2, Isaiah 59 .1, and 1 Peter 3 .12, which 00:09:34.289 --> 00:09:37.570 is also Psalm 34 .15. And then the application 00:09:37.570 --> 00:09:42.389 is, because God hears, we should pray confidently, 00:09:42.789 --> 00:09:45.850 honestly, and persistently. If you don't like 00:09:45.850 --> 00:09:47.889 those words that have too many syllables, then 00:09:47.889 --> 00:09:50.429 you could put boldly. And you could put true, 00:09:50.610 --> 00:09:54.629 and you could put never stopping. Pray infinitely, 00:09:55.070 --> 00:09:57.490 honestly, and persist. One more, and then let's 00:09:57.490 --> 00:10:03.470 go. The hand of God. He works. So sometimes people 00:10:03.470 --> 00:10:05.789 don't want to work. People are working for a 00:10:05.789 --> 00:10:07.870 good retirement. People are trying to avoid hard 00:10:07.870 --> 00:10:10.330 work. When I was at Pizza Hut, I had to chase 00:10:10.330 --> 00:10:12.210 the employees around because they had this big 00:10:12.210 --> 00:10:14.529 rack of boxes. And if I was on the one side, 00:10:14.590 --> 00:10:16.590 they would all flock and hide on the other side 00:10:16.590 --> 00:10:18.009 of the box so I couldn't tell them what to do. 00:10:18.210 --> 00:10:19.870 They were still getting paid. They just didn't 00:10:19.870 --> 00:10:22.610 want to work. God's not like that. God wouldn't 00:10:22.610 --> 00:10:26.009 have to work ever. He doesn't have to work. He's 00:10:26.009 --> 00:10:27.909 the richest person there being to ever live. 00:10:28.009 --> 00:10:29.690 He has the most power of anyone to ever live, 00:10:29.809 --> 00:10:31.429 the most insight. You never have to work, and 00:10:31.429 --> 00:10:34.700 yet he works. The reference is Isaiah 41 .10. 00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:38.039 Isaiah 41 .10 goes in the blank. And the verse 00:10:38.039 --> 00:10:40.480 says, I will strengthen you. Surely I will help 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:43.519 you. Surely I will uphold you with my righteous 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:46.820 right hand. So God says he is going to do that. 00:10:46.980 --> 00:10:48.539 You're not going to do that. It doesn't matter 00:10:48.539 --> 00:10:50.340 how smart you are, how capable you are, how strong 00:10:50.340 --> 00:10:52.500 you are. The truth is it all runs out, right? 00:10:53.620 --> 00:10:55.539 All of it actually runs out. The hand of God 00:10:55.539 --> 00:10:58.720 emphasizes his active involvement in the lives 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:00.539 of his people. That's what we kind of summarize 00:11:00.539 --> 00:11:03.230 that lesson as. We've got his hand provides, 00:11:03.769 --> 00:11:07.529 his hand protects, his hand guides, his hand 00:11:07.529 --> 00:11:11.129 strengthens, his hand disciplines, his hand upholds, 00:11:11.129 --> 00:11:13.870 his hand empowers. It's a lot. Remember, we did 00:11:13.870 --> 00:11:16.409 this lesson and we drilled way down. God does 00:11:16.409 --> 00:11:19.909 not merely observe what happens in our lives. 00:11:19.990 --> 00:11:22.129 There are some very famous people who thought 00:11:22.129 --> 00:11:24.490 they were deists. They thought God started the 00:11:24.490 --> 00:11:26.629 world running and then just kind of quit. They 00:11:26.629 --> 00:11:29.889 were retired or whatever. That's a deist, and 00:11:29.889 --> 00:11:31.330 that is not what the Bible teaches. He's just 00:11:31.330 --> 00:11:33.330 not what Jesus taught, not what we know to be 00:11:33.330 --> 00:11:36.490 true. He's not just watching. He is active. He 00:11:36.490 --> 00:11:39.350 works. Sometimes his work is dramatic. Sometimes 00:11:39.350 --> 00:11:42.669 it's so ordinary that we recognize it only after 00:11:42.669 --> 00:11:46.350 he does it or after it results. In other words, 00:11:46.429 --> 00:11:48.769 it may be the smallest thing. If you think in 00:11:48.769 --> 00:11:50.629 your mind's researching right now, you can think, 00:11:50.730 --> 00:11:52.970 I remember when I did that thing, and I just 00:11:52.970 --> 00:11:54.049 did it because I thought it was something I wanted 00:11:54.049 --> 00:11:56.850 to do, and then it became something huge. God 00:11:56.850 --> 00:11:59.820 really used it. That's what God does. On the 00:11:59.820 --> 00:12:01.940 four lines there, which actually should be three 00:12:01.940 --> 00:12:03.559 lines there. We want three lines, we don't want 00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:05.620 to get to the four. So we got that whole bunch 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:07.460 of extra little space right there. The first 00:12:07.460 --> 00:12:11.440 line, Psalm 145, 16. Psalm, P -S -A -M. Psalm 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:16.320 145, 16. You open your hand and satisfy the desire 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:19.480 of every living thing. God is meeting the needs 00:12:19.480 --> 00:12:21.759 of every living thing. That's how you plants 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:24.320 need sunlight to survive. Well, who created this? 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:27.179 Who's keeping it going? That's how you animals 00:12:27.179 --> 00:12:29.809 need water or diet. have thirst, and so do people, 00:12:29.970 --> 00:12:32.809 right? Fluids, anyway. God said, the psalmist 00:12:32.809 --> 00:12:34.990 writes, keep your hands satisfied with the desire 00:12:34.990 --> 00:12:37.629 of every living thing. Ezra 7 .9 is the next 00:12:37.629 --> 00:12:40.950 one. That verse says, the good hand of his God 00:12:40.950 --> 00:12:43.730 was upon him. And then in the New Testament, 00:12:43.870 --> 00:12:48.700 John 10 .28 -29. John 10 .28 -29. And Jesus says 00:12:48.700 --> 00:12:52.120 that no one can snatch Christ's sheep from his 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:54.000 hand, from God's hand. If you belong to Jesus, 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:56.580 you're safe in the hand of God, and no one can 00:12:56.580 --> 00:13:00.000 take you on. The application, because God's hand 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:03.200 is at work, we should trust his provision and 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:06.279 guidance, even when we cannot see what he is 00:13:06.279 --> 00:13:09.179 doing. Even if you don't know, can't see, can't 00:13:09.179 --> 00:13:11.320 understand, doesn't make any sense to you, in 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:13.820 the middle of that, you have to say stubbornly, 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:16.730 get mean if you must. and say, in the middle 00:13:16.730 --> 00:13:19.210 of this, I cannot understand it, and I am going 00:13:19.210 --> 00:13:22.549 to trust God's provision and his guidance. And 00:13:22.549 --> 00:13:24.669 it's both, because the provision is he's going 00:13:24.669 --> 00:13:26.629 to take care of it, and the guidance is you're 00:13:26.629 --> 00:13:28.509 going to understand what you really need to understand. 00:13:28.590 --> 00:13:30.850 So when you don't understand, you have to trust 00:13:30.850 --> 00:13:32.830 that God has given you what you really need. 00:13:32.990 --> 00:13:35.210 And sometimes understanding might be worse for 00:13:35.210 --> 00:13:37.370 you. You might shortcut it, or you might try 00:13:37.370 --> 00:13:40.129 not to do what he's having you do, right? You 00:13:40.129 --> 00:13:42.919 do that sometimes. So his provision and his guidance 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:45.600 can be trusted even when we cannot understand 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:48.039 or cannot see what he is doing. Okay? We're going 00:13:48.039 --> 00:14:11.769 to stop for a minute. So we've actually, have 00:14:11.769 --> 00:14:13.070 everybody got a partner? If you don't have a 00:14:13.070 --> 00:14:14.370 partner, I can be your partner or somebody else 00:14:14.370 --> 00:14:16.789 can be your partner. We'll enlist somebody. Okay. 00:14:16.950 --> 00:14:18.990 Somebody beat Caleb's partner going once. I'm 00:14:18.990 --> 00:14:20.330 going to do it myself. All right, Carrie, you're 00:14:20.330 --> 00:14:22.250 going to do it too. All right. We've done this 00:14:22.250 --> 00:14:24.129 one once before, but some of you won't have seen 00:14:24.129 --> 00:14:26.289 it. You're going to stand back -to -back with 00:14:26.289 --> 00:14:27.789 your partner. You're going to throw the ball 00:14:27.789 --> 00:14:29.789 up in the air. Your partner's going to catch 00:14:29.789 --> 00:14:32.389 the ball. You can't turn around, right? You're 00:14:32.389 --> 00:14:33.450 going to stay back -to -back. You're going to 00:14:33.450 --> 00:14:34.309 go up in the air. Your partner's going to catch 00:14:34.309 --> 00:14:35.830 the ball. Then your partner's going to throw 00:14:35.830 --> 00:14:37.669 the ball up in the air, and you're going to catch 00:14:37.669 --> 00:14:39.870 the ball, right? You have to complete the rotation. 00:14:40.440 --> 00:14:43.519 over and back within the 60 -second time limit. 00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:45.559 Artie, can you get a timer on your phone? All 00:14:45.559 --> 00:14:53.039 right. Just one second. If you complete the challenge, 00:14:53.460 --> 00:14:56.000 then you'll get two tickets. If you fail, you'll 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:59.059 each get one. Ready, and go. If you miss it, 00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:08.500 you start over. Try again. Try again. Try again. 00:15:40.539 --> 00:15:45.860 Anybody else got it? Yes. Missy, you got something 00:15:45.860 --> 00:15:54.399 over. Alright, just catch it wherever you got 00:15:54.399 --> 00:16:00.899 it. Okay, that won't count. Last chance. She's 00:16:00.899 --> 00:16:03.659 got to catch it or you lose. Oh, one for each 00:16:03.659 --> 00:16:29.580 other. Okay, time's up. Cam Hadley did it. Where'd 00:16:29.580 --> 00:16:49.929 he go? Okay. Remember that if you complete your 00:16:49.929 --> 00:16:51.350 worksheet and your blanks are filled in, you 00:16:51.350 --> 00:16:52.990 get two tickets at the end, and we're not doing 00:16:52.990 --> 00:16:56.230 trivia tonight, so fun fun day. Quick throw in 00:16:56.230 --> 00:16:57.710 the ball and just sit out there. There you go. 00:16:57.730 --> 00:16:59.950 Good enough. All right, very good. Okay, we are 00:16:59.950 --> 00:17:04.089 on number four. Because God's hand is at work, 00:17:04.150 --> 00:17:06.490 we should trust his provision and guidance even 00:17:06.490 --> 00:17:08.559 when we cannot see what he is doing. provision 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:12.289 and guidance. Number four, the arm of God. He 00:17:12.289 --> 00:17:15.750 is strong enough to save. It sounds like duh, 00:17:15.930 --> 00:17:18.930 right? Isaiah 52 .10 is the reference. Isaiah 00:17:18.930 --> 00:17:22.369 52 .10. The Lord has bared his holy arm in the 00:17:22.369 --> 00:17:25.450 sight of all the nations, that all the ends of 00:17:25.450 --> 00:17:28.029 the earth may see the salvation of our God. That 00:17:28.029 --> 00:17:30.730 is in the Old Testament verse. And they knew, 00:17:30.769 --> 00:17:32.750 there were dozens of verses in the Old Testament, 00:17:32.809 --> 00:17:35.009 they knew that the Messiah, the anointed one, 00:17:35.069 --> 00:17:38.109 would be for everyone, not just for Jews. They 00:17:38.109 --> 00:17:40.430 were already supposed to be working. They weren't 00:17:40.430 --> 00:17:42.150 doing a very good job of it, but some of them 00:17:42.150 --> 00:17:45.049 were doing it, right? The Pharisees were basically 00:17:45.049 --> 00:17:47.509 almost like evangelical preachers of their day. 00:17:47.589 --> 00:17:49.869 They just didn't follow the doctrine that they 00:17:49.869 --> 00:17:51.930 preached. So there were people being lured to 00:17:51.930 --> 00:17:53.970 Christ in the Old Testament. And that verse is 00:17:53.970 --> 00:17:56.470 clear that Jesus would be for all of the nations. 00:17:56.769 --> 00:17:58.289 So what we learned when we looked at the arm 00:17:58.289 --> 00:18:02.190 of God was the arm of God emphasizes God's overwhelming 00:18:02.190 --> 00:18:06.430 strength. God's arm delivers, saves, rescues, 00:18:06.509 --> 00:18:09.279 defeats his enemies. accomplishes his purposes, 00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:12.500 carries the weak, establishes his victory. Any 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:14.500 one of those things are very important. Remember, 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:16.460 they are all in the original lesson as well. 00:18:17.579 --> 00:18:20.519 The distinction between the hand and arm is useful. 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:23.980 There is a difference here where the hand emphasizes 00:18:23.980 --> 00:18:26.339 God's work. You heard it. We just did that, right? 00:18:26.579 --> 00:18:29.160 The hand emphasizes the work of God, but the 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:32.140 arm emphasizes the strength behind the work. 00:18:32.299 --> 00:18:35.700 And it's like that. If you have weak hands, as 00:18:35.700 --> 00:18:39.559 I had from the time I was about... 17, the time 00:18:39.559 --> 00:18:42.019 I was probably 27, right? Because I was beating 00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:44.339 myself so bad and my hands were weak. My arm 00:18:44.339 --> 00:18:46.299 was strong. I probably could have done maybe 00:18:46.299 --> 00:18:49.259 15, 20 push -ups. Not that I was strong, but 00:18:49.259 --> 00:18:51.839 I could do it. But my hands hurt so bad, I couldn't 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:54.200 do it. Weak hands, strong arms, there's things 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:56.880 you can't do. Strong hands, weak arms, there's 00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:59.500 things you can't do, right? So that God has both. 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:04.410 God's hands do the work. God's... Arms emphasizes 00:19:04.410 --> 00:19:07.490 the strength or the power of God behind God's 00:19:07.490 --> 00:19:10.339 work. And then there's four important scriptures 00:19:10.339 --> 00:19:12.160 that can go on those lines. If you want to use 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:13.559 those for your points, or if you already filled 00:19:13.559 --> 00:19:15.799 in some, just pick a couple that you like. Deuteronomy 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:18.819 5 .15, God brought Israel out of Egypt with a 00:19:18.819 --> 00:19:21.880 mighty hand and an outstretched arm. That's the 00:19:21.880 --> 00:19:23.700 first one. It's beautiful. They come together, 00:19:23.980 --> 00:19:27.359 right? So God was at work, and he did it mightily. 00:19:27.700 --> 00:19:32.079 Jeremiah 32 .17, nothing is too difficult for 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:33.960 you. God can do it. Somebody just said that to 00:19:33.960 --> 00:19:36.079 me like half an hour ago. God can do it. He wants 00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:39.609 you to fix it, and he'll fix it today. Isaiah 00:19:39.609 --> 00:19:43.549 40 verse 11. He gathers the lambs with his arm. 00:19:44.049 --> 00:19:47.450 And Psalm 98 verse 1. His holy arm has gained 00:19:47.450 --> 00:19:51.779 the victory. 5 .15, Deuteronomy 5 .15, Jeremiah 00:19:51.779 --> 00:19:58.240 32 .17, Isaiah 40 .11, and Psalm 98 .1. And then 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:00.599 the application, because God's arm is strong 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:03.140 enough to save, we should trust his strength 00:20:03.140 --> 00:20:06.359 rather than depend upon our own. There is an 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:09.160 equation here when it comes to God's power and 00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:11.599 strength that actually works itself out everywhere 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:15.240 in creation. So, for example, people began to 00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:18.859 worship very expensive things. idols out of gold 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:21.819 or silver or find craftsmanship and make beautiful 00:20:21.819 --> 00:20:24.359 statues and worship them you see we still have 00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:26.619 some of that going on left over from thousands 00:20:26.619 --> 00:20:29.779 of years ago but all of that amounts to worshiping 00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:32.640 the creation rather than worshiping the creator 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:35.799 it's idolatry right so in us As I look around 00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:37.960 this room, I see people who are strong. I see 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:40.019 people who are intelligent, people who are capable. 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:41.960 There are all of these things. And you say, well, 00:20:41.980 --> 00:20:44.140 I'm not as smart as somebody else. Pretty much 00:20:44.140 --> 00:20:46.299 irrelevant on the grand scheme of things, right? 00:20:46.460 --> 00:20:48.660 You have to deal with what God has given you 00:20:48.660 --> 00:20:50.579 to deal with. Maybe they have to deal with something 00:20:50.579 --> 00:20:53.279 that is maybe more academic. Or if you go like, 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:55.799 well, I can jack a tire. I can jack a car and 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:57.660 change a tire, right? So maybe you don't need 00:20:57.660 --> 00:20:59.460 to be able to jack a car and change a tire, but 00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:00.859 maybe you need to be able to do something else, 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:03.440 right? So strength is purposeful. But the bottom 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:06.029 line is, if you... start thinking that you have 00:21:06.029 --> 00:21:08.930 something that didn't come from God, then that's 00:21:08.930 --> 00:21:10.890 idolatry. That's thinking you are God, right? 00:21:10.990 --> 00:21:12.809 And it goes both ways. Sometimes you pray, you 00:21:12.809 --> 00:21:15.250 say, oh, I'm so good. I'm so awesome. I did such 00:21:15.250 --> 00:21:17.670 a good job. That's idolatry. If you don't give 00:21:17.670 --> 00:21:19.369 the glory to God for making you in trouble creation, 00:21:19.490 --> 00:21:21.509 that's idolatry. And the reverse is also, I'm 00:21:21.509 --> 00:21:24.910 so bad. I suck. I can't do this. That also is 00:21:24.910 --> 00:21:27.230 idolatry because you're taking the place of God. 00:21:27.410 --> 00:21:30.329 So the trick is, or the command, if you will, 00:21:30.390 --> 00:21:33.529 is to trust God's strength rather than your own. 00:21:33.710 --> 00:21:35.390 strength. And that is a lot of what Christianity 00:21:35.390 --> 00:21:37.490 is all about. It starts with our recognition 00:21:37.490 --> 00:21:39.970 that we could not save ourselves. And it continues 00:21:39.970 --> 00:21:42.369 with John 15, 5, which says you can do nothing 00:21:42.369 --> 00:21:44.589 outside him. And if you start to think you can 00:21:44.589 --> 00:21:46.609 do some things outside him, you've got a real 00:21:46.609 --> 00:21:48.509 problem. And if you start to think that you cannot 00:21:48.509 --> 00:21:50.369 do the things that he has commanded you to, you 00:21:50.369 --> 00:21:51.950 also have a real problem. Either way, you're 00:21:51.950 --> 00:21:54.269 taking the place of God. So instead, trust his 00:21:54.269 --> 00:21:56.049 strength rather than depend upon your own. All 00:21:56.049 --> 00:21:58.609 right, number five, the face of God. He is present. 00:21:58.869 --> 00:22:01.670 The reference there is Numbers 6, the book of 00:22:01.670 --> 00:22:06.140 Numbers. 6, 24 to 26. And then in there is that 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:08.839 prayer. We talked about this when we did the 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:11.440 lesson. The Lord bless you and keep you. The 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:13.900 Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious 00:22:13.900 --> 00:22:16.500 to you. The Lord lift up his confidence on you 00:22:16.500 --> 00:22:19.059 and give you peace. And that is a prayer basically 00:22:19.059 --> 00:22:22.220 asking that God's face would be toward you. When 00:22:22.220 --> 00:22:24.259 a person's face is toward you, they are paying 00:22:24.259 --> 00:22:27.099 attention. It represents their presence. And 00:22:27.099 --> 00:22:29.700 you know this. You're with somebody and they're 00:22:29.700 --> 00:22:32.400 like this. They're not really there. Some part 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:34.990 of them is not really there. them and they're 00:22:34.990 --> 00:22:36.569 watching their phone while you're talking they're 00:22:36.569 --> 00:22:39.269 not really present they might be 80 present or 00:22:39.269 --> 00:22:41.890 50 present depends on how good what they're watching 00:22:41.890 --> 00:22:44.049 on their phone is to them in that moment right 00:22:44.049 --> 00:22:46.730 so when i'm preaching for example and i see people 00:22:46.730 --> 00:22:48.869 on their phone and they're playing a game or 00:22:48.869 --> 00:22:51.029 they watch whatever like they might only be 50 00:22:51.029 --> 00:22:53.569 in the room that doesn't hurt me because i'm 00:22:53.569 --> 00:22:55.609 doing what it is god's called me to do so it 00:22:55.609 --> 00:22:57.549 can only hurt them because they're not present 00:22:57.549 --> 00:22:59.089 in the moment that god has called them to be 00:22:59.089 --> 00:23:01.490 in right and that makes me kind of heartbroken 00:23:01.490 --> 00:23:03.890 but i'm sure if you're a parent in the room You've 00:23:03.890 --> 00:23:04.950 been talking to your kid, and they're on the 00:23:04.950 --> 00:23:06.910 phone. It's the same way, right? Or watching 00:23:06.910 --> 00:23:08.710 TV, right? I talk to my wife, and she's watching 00:23:08.710 --> 00:23:11.710 TV. And now, because we had this conversation 00:23:11.710 --> 00:23:13.769 a number of times in the past or whatever, if 00:23:13.769 --> 00:23:15.250 she starts talking to me or I start talking to 00:23:15.250 --> 00:23:17.589 her, we immediately stop the TV or turn the TV 00:23:17.589 --> 00:23:19.170 off. As soon as I start talking to her, she turns 00:23:19.170 --> 00:23:20.630 the TV off. As soon as she starts talking to 00:23:20.630 --> 00:23:22.589 me, I turn the TV off. Because you can be 80 00:23:22.589 --> 00:23:25.690 % present. That is not the same. God is 100 % 00:23:25.690 --> 00:23:28.930 present when it comes to us. He is our peace. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:32.940 He is for us. So the face of God communicates 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:35.259 relationship and presence. To seek God's face 00:23:35.259 --> 00:23:39.200 is to seek God himself. So don't ever smack your 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:41.200 friends in the face. Don't do that. Don't spit 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:45.019 in their face. Don't smear mud or something worse 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:47.220 on their face. Don't ever do that. And that is 00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:49.259 a little bit like what it's like when God is 00:23:49.259 --> 00:23:51.160 coming to you. He's trying to talk to you, trying 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:53.799 to represent whatever to you. And all you want 00:23:53.799 --> 00:23:55.680 to do is your own thing and have nothing to do 00:23:55.680 --> 00:24:01.000 with people. him, right? So seek God's face is 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:03.440 to seek himself. You want him there. His face 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:06.539 represents his presence, his favor, his fellowship, 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:09.900 his blessing, his peace, his holiness, his glory. 00:24:10.019 --> 00:24:11.599 All of those things came out of that lesson. 00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:13.420 I know we broke them down more then. You have 00:24:13.420 --> 00:24:15.119 the past worksheets, great. If not, they are 00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:18.559 online. The worksheets are online. David said 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:21.180 this. David said in Psalm 27, 8, he said, when 00:24:21.180 --> 00:24:24.960 you said, seek my face, my heart said to you, 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:28.259 your face, O Lord, I shall seek. So it's God 00:24:28.259 --> 00:24:32.359 wants us to seek his face, and we should. The 00:24:32.359 --> 00:24:35.400 greatest blessing God can give us is not simply 00:24:35.400 --> 00:24:39.319 something from his hand, but his presence. So 00:24:39.319 --> 00:24:41.400 that brings us back to the crucifixion and resurrection. 00:24:41.799 --> 00:24:44.900 So if Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose 00:24:44.900 --> 00:24:46.960 again on the third day just so you can go to 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:49.539 heaven when you die, that is too small. It's 00:24:49.539 --> 00:24:51.660 way too small. It's nice thought that we'll go 00:24:51.660 --> 00:24:53.539 to heaven when we die. That's wonderful. But 00:24:53.539 --> 00:24:55.680 it's not. If Jesus just died so you could go 00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:57.960 to heaven when you die, and also so that you 00:24:57.960 --> 00:24:59.480 could receive some blessings while you're here 00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:01.740 on earth, some more money, a better job. proof 00:25:01.740 --> 00:25:04.259 over your head, some provision. If that was all 00:25:04.259 --> 00:25:07.079 he died for, that is not enough. We were created 00:25:07.079 --> 00:25:09.460 to be in a right relationship with him, like 00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:12.140 oneness. Right? So we're with him and he is with 00:25:12.140 --> 00:25:14.220 us. And literally it says not just with us, but 00:25:14.220 --> 00:25:16.279 in us. So that's what we are praying for. And 00:25:16.279 --> 00:25:19.079 that is what Jesus lived and died and rose again 00:25:19.079 --> 00:25:21.579 for. His presence. And if you cannot have his 00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:23.160 presence in this lifetime, then that happens, 00:25:23.220 --> 00:25:24.920 right? There's people who just don't want God. 00:25:25.079 --> 00:25:27.380 They just don't. They may say words about God 00:25:27.380 --> 00:25:28.779 or whatever. They may talk about God to many 00:25:28.779 --> 00:25:31.400 preachers. Right? But if they don't want the 00:25:31.400 --> 00:25:33.180 presence of God in this lifetime, then when they 00:25:33.180 --> 00:25:35.180 die, they're not going to go to be with him. 00:25:35.240 --> 00:25:36.619 Because then that would be the presence of God 00:25:36.619 --> 00:25:38.440 for eternity. No matter what they say now. It 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:39.819 doesn't matter if they don't want his presence. 00:25:39.819 --> 00:25:41.279 presence then they don't they're not going to 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:43.619 be with him for eternity okay so the greatest 00:25:43.619 --> 00:25:46.160 blessing god can give us is not simply something 00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:48.759 from his hand it is himself and you all know 00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:51.160 that like every person in the room has a significant 00:25:51.160 --> 00:25:53.299 other like you like to get cards you like to 00:25:53.299 --> 00:25:55.259 get presents you like to get everybody likes 00:25:55.259 --> 00:25:57.640 to be bought a nice dinner from time to time 00:25:57.640 --> 00:26:00.079 or like that but what do you really want the 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:02.339 person that you care about from your best friend 00:26:02.339 --> 00:26:04.420 right what you really want is that right and 00:26:04.420 --> 00:26:06.299 all those other things represent some small part 00:26:06.299 --> 00:26:08.400 of that like it's their thoughtful nature they 00:26:08.400 --> 00:26:10.599 give you know, whatever that you really want. 00:26:10.700 --> 00:26:13.319 So it's a sobering truth. Scripture also speaks 00:26:13.319 --> 00:26:15.960 of God hiding his face because of sin. We're 00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:17.839 going on this a little bit more like we did then 00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:20.160 because it's huge. If you have sin, the Bible 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:23.200 says that God will hide his face. Isaiah 49 says, 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:31.059 Sin does not make God cease to be omnipresent. 00:26:31.160 --> 00:26:32.640 It means he can be everywhere he wants to be, 00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:35.720 but it damages our fellowship with him. So you're 00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:38.390 breaking up with God when you choose to do. what 00:26:38.390 --> 00:26:40.650 it is that you want to do rather than do what 00:26:40.650 --> 00:26:42.230 it is that God wants you to do. And you don't 00:26:42.230 --> 00:26:44.549 want to do it, right? And you may feel like God 00:26:44.549 --> 00:26:46.710 is distant. You may feel like God doesn't hear. 00:26:47.150 --> 00:26:50.049 You may feel like you can't pray or you can't 00:26:50.049 --> 00:26:52.109 serve or you can't risk, right? Because you don't 00:26:52.109 --> 00:26:53.549 know what's going to happen. All those kinds 00:26:53.549 --> 00:26:55.529 of things are the result of our break in fellowship 00:26:55.529 --> 00:26:57.789 with him, which is a result of our sin. And that's 00:26:57.789 --> 00:27:01.049 because we're putting a block up between us and 00:27:01.049 --> 00:27:04.950 his face. Revelation 22 .4 says our future hope, 00:27:05.069 --> 00:27:08.390 they will see his face. That's us. believers, 00:27:08.509 --> 00:27:10.490 followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we will see 00:27:10.490 --> 00:27:13.490 his face. What Moses could only partially experience, 00:27:13.789 --> 00:27:16.509 redeemed believers will one day experience fully. 00:27:16.750 --> 00:27:18.789 And then that brings us to the application. So 00:27:18.789 --> 00:27:20.930 you can read any of that to fill in your blanks. 00:27:20.930 --> 00:27:23.410 The application is because God's presence is 00:27:23.410 --> 00:27:26.049 our greatest blessing, we should seek God himself 00:27:26.049 --> 00:27:29.309 rather than merely seeking what God can give 00:27:29.309 --> 00:27:31.869 us. I know we're hurting sometimes. We think 00:27:31.869 --> 00:27:33.670 we need, I've got to have this, I need healing, 00:27:33.690 --> 00:27:35.849 I need money, I need whatever. What you really 00:27:35.849 --> 00:27:39.619 need is the presence. So seek God himself rather 00:27:39.619 --> 00:27:42.299 than seeking what he can give us. Number six, 00:27:42.460 --> 00:27:45.779 good progress. These last two will go a little 00:27:45.779 --> 00:27:47.440 faster than that, but that's a big one because 00:27:47.440 --> 00:27:49.859 it goes both ways, right? He wants to make his 00:27:49.859 --> 00:27:51.660 face available to us. He wants us to seek his 00:27:51.660 --> 00:27:56.359 face, but also there is a break. The mouth and 00:27:56.359 --> 00:27:59.119 lips of God, he speaks. The reference is Matthew 00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:02.140 4, 4. Someone in the room probably knows that 00:28:02.140 --> 00:28:04.480 verse already. That's from the temptation of 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:07.319 Jesus. And Jesus says back to the devil, man 00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:10.039 shall not live on bread alone, but on every word 00:28:10.039 --> 00:28:12.259 that proceeds out of the mouth of God. And that 00:28:12.259 --> 00:28:13.819 lesson we learned that the mouth of God reminds 00:28:13.819 --> 00:28:16.339 us that God has chosen to communicate with his 00:28:16.339 --> 00:28:19.140 creation. God is not silent. He is speaking despite 00:28:19.140 --> 00:28:23.119 what someone might say. So God's word then. Reveals 00:28:23.119 --> 00:28:26.839 truth, gives commands, makes promises, provides 00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:31.099 wisdom, gives warnings, offers comfort, announces 00:28:31.099 --> 00:28:34.000 salvation, and declares judgment. Very simply, 00:28:34.059 --> 00:28:37.259 you could say, God is not sin. Also, you could 00:28:37.259 --> 00:28:40.359 say, he has spoken. There are two very simple 00:28:40.359 --> 00:28:43.470 points to take out of there. In creation, Genesis 00:28:43.470 --> 00:28:46.269 1 -3, then God said, let there be light. We dwelled 00:28:46.269 --> 00:28:47.970 on that during that lesson. We've dwelled on 00:28:47.970 --> 00:28:49.589 it too much now, but it's the point that God 00:28:49.589 --> 00:28:51.609 can bring something out of nonexistence into 00:28:51.609 --> 00:28:54.809 existence by speaking to it. God spoke and creation 00:28:54.809 --> 00:28:57.910 responded. God's word accomplishes God's purposes. 00:28:58.309 --> 00:29:02.009 Isaiah 55 -11, that one there, God's word accomplishes 00:29:02.009 --> 00:29:04.750 his purposes. Isaiah 55 -11 says, so will my 00:29:04.750 --> 00:29:07.470 word be which goes forth from my mouth. It will 00:29:07.470 --> 00:29:10.309 not return to me empty without accomplishing 00:29:10.309 --> 00:29:12.799 what I desire. verse we're going to say, once 00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:15.259 God speaks it, something happens. It may be that 00:29:15.259 --> 00:29:17.599 people rebel, and that may actually have been 00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:19.900 God's intention to give them the opportunity 00:29:19.900 --> 00:29:22.019 to rebel if that's what they wanted to do, right? 00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:24.579 But that's not what he desired, necessarily. 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:26.759 He also gave them the opportunity to be obedient. 00:29:27.359 --> 00:29:30.619 So God's word is completely trustworthy. There's 00:29:30.619 --> 00:29:31.000 another one.