WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.600 I am so excited about today's sermon. I've been 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:07.139 like feeding off of it personally for weeks now, 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:10.900 and I wish you could sometimes see me sermon 00:00:10.900 --> 00:00:13.099 prepping, because sometimes I just will laugh 00:00:13.099 --> 00:00:15.599 out loud at delight over something I find in 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.640 the Word. And this has just been one of those, 00:00:18.780 --> 00:00:21.440 you know, Preaching is always good, but sometimes 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:23.179 it's just like, Lord, that's just going to be 00:00:23.179 --> 00:00:25.260 fun to preach. I'm going to enjoy preaching that. 00:00:25.379 --> 00:00:29.640 And that is this sermon today. Psalm 96. I did 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:32.479 not intend this to kind of be a setup for Mother's 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:35.420 Day, but as I was preparing, it kind of just 00:00:35.420 --> 00:00:38.799 fell into that. And so it's setting the stage 00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:43.460 for next week's sermon, What Drives You? So let's 00:00:43.460 --> 00:00:47.299 go to the actual text is going to be verse 6 00:00:47.299 --> 00:00:53.200 of Psalm 96. And it says, honor and majesty are 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:59.939 before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 00:01:01.799 --> 00:01:04.959 Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:09.640 beauty are in his sanctuary. Now, I want to kind 00:01:09.640 --> 00:01:12.379 of just set the stage for this a little bit before 00:01:12.379 --> 00:01:17.519 we dive into this chapter. One of my favorite 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:23.000 phrases, because it resonates in me with my journey 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:27.420 toward heaven, is the principle of true north. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:31.780 And in 1 Thessalonians, we're going to take a 00:01:31.780 --> 00:01:35.719 few moments to kind of just create some context 00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:38.939 for the passage. Why it's such an important passage. 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:54.579 And in 1 Thessalonians 4 .16, it says, Isn't 00:01:54.579 --> 00:01:57.140 it an interesting contrast to his first arrival? 00:01:57.739 --> 00:02:02.239 A dark night with just the angels and the shepherds. 00:02:02.739 --> 00:02:06.680 Nobody seeing his arrival. His second return 00:02:06.680 --> 00:02:16.599 is not going to be like that. shall be caught 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:20.400 up together with them in the clouds to meet the 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:25.000 Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:29.979 with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another 00:02:29.979 --> 00:02:34.120 with these words. Another version says encourage. 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:38.699 Therefore, encourage one another with these words. 00:02:40.500 --> 00:02:44.979 I think that an interesting statistic. is that 00:02:44.979 --> 00:02:49.060 of the second coming of Jesus Christ, it is mentioned 00:02:49.060 --> 00:02:55.539 in the Old Testament, 17 and 17 books. In the 00:02:55.539 --> 00:02:58.719 New Testament, the second coming of Christ is 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:06.319 mentioned in 23 out of the 27 books. It is mentioned 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:13.319 300 times in the New Testament. Of the 260 chapters 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:19.400 of the New Testament. So what we find is that 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:24.319 one out of every 30 verses refers to the second 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:29.139 coming of Christ. And I think about how much 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:32.340 we talk about it or teach about it in the church 00:03:32.340 --> 00:03:37.840 today. When it is such a huge emphasis in the 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:42.629 New Testament. The second coming of Christ. Encourage 00:03:42.629 --> 00:03:45.870 one another. Comfort one another with these words. 00:03:46.509 --> 00:03:49.289 The New Testament people knew what it was to 00:03:49.289 --> 00:03:51.889 walk through trials and difficulties and persecution. 00:03:52.509 --> 00:03:56.409 And so continually they're said, hey, he's coming 00:03:56.409 --> 00:04:01.599 again. Don't be downcast. Lift up your heads. 00:04:01.659 --> 00:04:04.680 He's coming again. They were constantly, they 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:07.300 talked about this all the time. The early church 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:12.719 had a huge focus on the return of Christ. And 00:04:12.719 --> 00:04:15.780 we hesitate around it because it's such a complicated 00:04:15.780 --> 00:04:20.879 subject. And we may not be able to figure out 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:24.360 all the details of what it's going to look like 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:29.509 or how it's going to happen. All I know is. Jesus 00:04:29.509 --> 00:04:33.329 is coming again and we shall forever be with 00:04:33.329 --> 00:04:38.310 him. So be encouraged this morning in your hardship. 00:04:38.769 --> 00:04:41.509 I know it's hard. I know it feels exhausting. 00:04:42.029 --> 00:04:45.029 It will come to an end and you will forever be 00:04:45.029 --> 00:04:51.029 with Jesus. This is my true north. This is what 00:04:51.029 --> 00:04:55.410 I align my life to are these kind of passages. 00:04:57.449 --> 00:05:01.110 That Jesus is going to come back. It's what I 00:05:01.110 --> 00:05:05.889 align my life to. I align my decisions to. I 00:05:05.889 --> 00:05:12.110 align my choices to. And so we know he's coming 00:05:12.110 --> 00:05:15.689 again. We know that it's going to get difficult. 00:05:17.750 --> 00:05:23.970 And thus we have Psalm 96. Oh, sing to the Lord 00:05:23.970 --> 00:05:28.610 a new song. Sing to the Lord, all the earth. 00:05:29.569 --> 00:05:34.569 Sing to the Lord, bless his name. Proclaim the 00:05:34.569 --> 00:05:41.089 good news of his salvation from day to day. Declare 00:05:41.089 --> 00:05:45.470 his glory among the nations, his wonders among 00:05:45.470 --> 00:05:50.170 all peoples. For the Lord is great and greatly 00:05:50.170 --> 00:05:54.889 to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods. 00:05:55.600 --> 00:06:01.040 For all the gods of the peoples are idols. But 00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:04.699 the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty 00:06:04.699 --> 00:06:09.079 are before him. Strength and beauty are in his 00:06:09.079 --> 00:06:13.800 sanctuary. Give to the Lord, O families of the 00:06:13.800 --> 00:06:17.740 peoples. Give to the Lord glory and strength. 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:22.439 Give to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring 00:06:22.439 --> 00:06:26.279 an offering and come into his courts. O worship 00:06:26.279 --> 00:06:30.899 the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Tremble before 00:06:30.899 --> 00:06:35.199 him, all the earth. Say among the nations, the 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:40.120 Lord reigns. The world also is firmly established. 00:06:40.540 --> 00:06:44.779 It shall not be moved. He shall judge the peoples 00:06:44.779 --> 00:06:48.699 righteously. Let the heavens rejoice and let 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:52.540 the earth be glad. Let the sea roar and all its 00:06:52.540 --> 00:06:56.959 fullness. Let the field be joyful in all that 00:06:56.959 --> 00:07:00.740 is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will 00:07:00.740 --> 00:07:05.980 rejoice before the Lord. For he is coming. For 00:07:05.980 --> 00:07:09.899 he is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:13.259 the world with righteousness and the peoples 00:07:13.259 --> 00:07:21.699 with his truth. He is coming again. we're going 00:07:21.699 --> 00:07:25.019 to look here at two views. We're going to take 00:07:25.019 --> 00:07:27.879 a broad view, and then we're going to take a 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:33.579 narrow view. And the broad view, if you think 00:07:33.579 --> 00:07:36.759 about a broad view, I'm about to leave this afternoon 00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:40.420 to drive to St. Louis, where I will pick up my 00:07:40.420 --> 00:07:46.120 grandsons and bring them home. So when I am sitting 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:49.939 in my driveway, I'm going to type into Maps, 00:07:50.699 --> 00:07:54.660 Trader Joe's. Because I will be going to Trader 00:07:54.660 --> 00:07:58.879 Joe's before I get the grandkids. I'm not sure 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:02.180 if I'm more excited over Trader Joe's or the 00:08:02.180 --> 00:08:05.839 grandkids. No. I'm going to Trader Joe's to buy 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:09.139 things for my grandkids so they can eat healthy 00:08:09.139 --> 00:08:12.980 this week. But what am I doing? I'm typing the 00:08:12.980 --> 00:08:16.480 address of where I want my journey to go, where 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:19.850 I want it to take me. It's a very broad view. 00:08:19.930 --> 00:08:25.050 It's taking me cross -states to where I want 00:08:25.050 --> 00:08:29.350 to go. What is interesting about this passage 00:08:29.350 --> 00:08:33.429 is that this psalm was written, and we find it 00:08:33.429 --> 00:08:37.110 in one other place in Scripture, and that is 00:08:37.110 --> 00:08:42.820 in 1 Chronicles 16. And in 1 Chronicles chapter 00:08:42.820 --> 00:08:46.860 16, this is such a day of rejoicing because King 00:08:46.860 --> 00:08:49.899 David is bringing the Ark of the Tabernacle, 00:08:49.960 --> 00:08:52.019 the Ark of the Covenant, into the tabernacle 00:08:52.019 --> 00:08:56.279 to set it up. And so I'm going to just summarize 00:08:56.279 --> 00:08:59.539 here. You can read this later. But they brought 00:08:59.539 --> 00:09:04.000 the Ark of God, represented his presence for 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:07.440 the people, and they set it in the midst of the 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:11.169 tabernacle that David had erected for it. and 00:09:11.169 --> 00:09:14.269 they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings 00:09:14.269 --> 00:09:18.769 before God. And then he distributed to everyone 00:09:18.769 --> 00:09:23.190 of Israel, both man and woman, a loaf of bread, 00:09:23.350 --> 00:09:26.730 a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. It was 00:09:26.730 --> 00:09:31.169 party time. This was a celebration. The presence 00:09:31.169 --> 00:09:39.320 of God is here. It says, on that day, David first 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:43.679 delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:50.360 his brethren to thank the Lord. And then it is 00:09:50.360 --> 00:09:54.559 listed, the whole psalm that we just read. Now, 00:09:54.580 --> 00:09:58.820 whether David wrote the song for this occasion 00:09:58.820 --> 00:10:03.159 or whether he did what I do to the worship team, 00:10:03.629 --> 00:10:07.250 And I will send them on their worship team page 00:10:07.250 --> 00:10:10.950 songs and say, I need you to learn this because 00:10:10.950 --> 00:10:14.490 I've got a sermon in mind, right? So whether 00:10:14.490 --> 00:10:17.730 David was writing it for this or he'd had that 00:10:17.730 --> 00:10:20.049 in him and he wanted to use it for this occasion, 00:10:20.210 --> 00:10:23.909 we don't know. But we know that there was something 00:10:23.909 --> 00:10:28.730 of this psalm that reflected David's heart for 00:10:28.730 --> 00:10:32.919 this occasion of establishing. the covenant in 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:38.139 the tabernacle, the ark. And so our landing spot 00:10:38.139 --> 00:10:42.860 is verse 6 that we read. Strength and beauty 00:10:42.860 --> 00:10:48.220 are in the sanctuary. But when we look at this 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:52.539 entire passage, we do so with an interesting 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:56.019 understanding, because when David was establishing 00:10:56.019 --> 00:10:59.929 the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle, It 00:10:59.929 --> 00:11:03.990 was for Israel, wasn't it? It was for his people. 00:11:05.529 --> 00:11:09.850 And yet what we find in this verse is that there's 00:11:09.850 --> 00:11:14.649 no limitations in it for just Israel. In fact, 00:11:14.730 --> 00:11:17.789 if we just, there's kind of three sections of 00:11:17.789 --> 00:11:22.330 it. There's this proclamation that is beyond 00:11:22.330 --> 00:11:27.009 Israel and to all people. Sing to the Lord, all 00:11:27.009 --> 00:11:33.730 the earth. All the earth, not just Israel. Proclaim 00:11:33.730 --> 00:11:38.690 the news of his salvation. Well, what does that 00:11:38.690 --> 00:11:41.629 speak to us? If you haven't received his salvation, 00:11:42.090 --> 00:11:46.110 you can't really proclaim it. And so what I'm 00:11:46.110 --> 00:11:49.649 hearing in this is that the good news of salvation 00:11:49.649 --> 00:11:55.330 is not just for Israel. Praise the Lord, all 00:11:55.330 --> 00:12:02.700 the Gentiles. Right? Declare his glory among 00:12:02.700 --> 00:12:06.639 the nations. This is why we support missionaries 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:11.500 to declare his glory among the nations. This 00:12:11.500 --> 00:12:17.039 is beyond Israel. His wonders among all people. 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:25.460 This is an occasion that is for Israel. It just 00:12:25.460 --> 00:12:28.440 is so fascinating because we say this all the 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:31.440 time. David is continually foreshadowing of the 00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:37.700 new covenant. There's a call to worship in this 00:12:37.700 --> 00:12:42.279 passage. A call to worship that goes beyond Israel. 00:12:42.360 --> 00:12:45.759 We read it, sing to the Lord all the earth. He's 00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:50.220 calling for worship from not just Israel, but 00:12:50.220 --> 00:12:59.110 all the earth. Verses 7 through 9, if you reread 00:12:59.110 --> 00:13:02.710 those, are a clear call of worship of families 00:13:02.710 --> 00:13:08.629 and the whole earth, not just Israel. And then 00:13:08.629 --> 00:13:11.950 the reason, he summarizes the reason for all 00:13:11.950 --> 00:13:15.529 of this, and that is verse 10 through the end. 00:13:16.610 --> 00:13:21.889 There's great joy in creation because he is coming 00:13:21.889 --> 00:13:28.149 to judge the world. All peoples, it says. All 00:13:28.149 --> 00:13:33.590 families, all the earth, he is coming for. And 00:13:33.590 --> 00:13:36.529 so here we have this occasion that is uniquely 00:13:36.529 --> 00:13:42.009 for Israel. God was very clear in the old covenant 00:13:42.009 --> 00:13:45.029 of the separation of those that were not of Israel 00:13:45.029 --> 00:13:48.580 and Israel. He did not want them intermarrying. 00:13:48.620 --> 00:13:51.720 He did not want them to bring in the idols of 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:54.759 the other nations. And so this occasion was solely 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:58.059 for Israel. And yet the psalm that they sang 00:13:58.059 --> 00:14:03.879 was one that included all of creation. It was 00:14:03.879 --> 00:14:07.919 a song. Did they have any kind of concept, really, 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:12.539 of what it meant for God to come for his people? 00:14:13.149 --> 00:14:19.990 They had very dark vision for it. And so the 00:14:19.990 --> 00:14:23.690 whole context of Psalm 96 is the return. He is 00:14:23.690 --> 00:14:27.629 coming. He is coming to judge the earth. The 00:14:27.629 --> 00:14:33.779 coming of his kingdom is our destiny. And sometimes 00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:37.419 we have that as the back thought of our life 00:14:37.419 --> 00:14:40.799 when he's wanting it to be our true north, our 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:45.039 first and foremost. He is coming again. He is 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:50.799 returning. His kingdom is our destiny. And so 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:54.100 because of where we're headed, the psalmist here 00:14:54.100 --> 00:14:58.179 is commanding us to do these things, to sing 00:14:58.179 --> 00:15:01.750 and to declare and to spread the news. It's a 00:15:01.750 --> 00:15:07.009 very broad view of where we are headed one day. 00:15:08.250 --> 00:15:11.549 It's a very broad view of when your life is ending, 00:15:11.669 --> 00:15:17.110 where you will be at the end of your life. If 00:15:17.110 --> 00:15:22.509 you are passing on before he comes again. It's 00:15:22.509 --> 00:15:26.429 a very broad view. Now, we want to get a little 00:15:26.429 --> 00:15:29.330 bit narrow. We want to get a little bit narrow 00:15:29.330 --> 00:15:34.389 view. See, when I type in my destiny into my 00:15:34.389 --> 00:15:38.669 Maps app, it's going to just take me straight 00:15:38.669 --> 00:15:41.830 there, right? But I don't know about you. We 00:15:41.830 --> 00:15:46.889 are usually in there adding in search for Starbucks. 00:15:49.049 --> 00:15:53.950 I got to take some side trips. I guarantee you 00:15:53.950 --> 00:15:57.470 after filling up my vehicle and it being 479 00:15:57.470 --> 00:16:01.809 yesterday, I will be finding a gas station in 00:16:01.809 --> 00:16:07.250 Missouri to fill up on, right? And so within 00:16:07.250 --> 00:16:11.769 my broad view of my destination, there are places 00:16:11.769 --> 00:16:14.809 along the journey that I've got to stop and fuel 00:16:14.809 --> 00:16:19.789 up, both me and my vehicle. This is our narrow 00:16:19.789 --> 00:16:25.779 view. So knowing we need fuel for our journey, 00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:31.759 we turn our eyes to verse 6. Honor and majesty 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:38.360 are before him. Strength and beauty are in his 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:44.679 sanctuary. There are two things I know. First 00:16:44.679 --> 00:16:51.480 thing, growth is dependent upon you. how you 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:56.600 grow in your faith in becoming like Christ as 00:16:56.600 --> 00:17:00.200 a believer. Growth is dependent upon your choice. 00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:06.359 As a pastor, one of my favorite passages in Acts 00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:12.119 chapter 2 that says they devoted themselves to 00:17:12.119 --> 00:17:16.420 the apostles' teaching, to the breaking of bread, 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:19.200 and to prayer, and to fellowship to one another. 00:17:20.750 --> 00:17:27.369 They devoted themselves. Nobody had to do it 00:17:27.369 --> 00:17:32.430 for them. They devoted themselves. Right? So 00:17:32.430 --> 00:17:35.930 for so long in this church, I would at potlucks 00:17:35.930 --> 00:17:38.269 have to go around and be like, oh, you're sitting 00:17:38.269 --> 00:17:42.069 alone. Come sit over here with them. But I love 00:17:42.069 --> 00:17:44.529 in this passage of Acts, it says they devoted 00:17:44.529 --> 00:17:48.539 themselves to fellowship. Because for a long 00:17:48.539 --> 00:17:51.839 time, we had a large population of introverted 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:57.700 people. They devoted themselves. Nobody has to 00:17:57.700 --> 00:18:03.380 do it for them. The choice is theirs. So I know 00:18:03.380 --> 00:18:07.380 this about growth. I can't partake of the word 00:18:07.380 --> 00:18:10.980 for you. I can't be in his presence for you. 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:15.420 There's no priest here doing it for you. The 00:18:15.420 --> 00:18:19.319 choice is yours. They devoted themselves. The 00:18:19.319 --> 00:18:23.220 second thing that I recognize is that we are 00:18:23.220 --> 00:18:27.720 an impoverished people. The first beatitude says, 00:18:28.140 --> 00:18:34.480 blessed are the poor in spirit. So I know the 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:38.460 choice of growth is ours, and I also understand 00:18:38.460 --> 00:18:41.640 there's nothing in me that will cause me to grow. 00:18:42.420 --> 00:18:46.519 Okay, let me summarize it like this. The choice 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:52.720 to stop and get gas is mine, but the fuel does 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:56.980 not originate with me. I've got to take what 00:18:56.980 --> 00:19:02.279 that gas station has to offer to fill up my tank 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:08.200 to keep going on the journey. And that's what 00:19:08.200 --> 00:19:16.039 I think Psalm 96 verse 6 consists of. The fuel 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:21.920 that you need to keep going, looking toward his 00:19:21.920 --> 00:19:30.119 return. We look forward to the return of Christ, 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:33.339 but in it we recognize that it is going to be 00:19:33.339 --> 00:19:37.420 marked by hard times, right? In the word, we 00:19:37.420 --> 00:19:40.099 hear about wars, rumors of war, all kinds of 00:19:40.099 --> 00:19:44.259 conflict. And so we recognize that the season 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:47.579 of his return is marked by increased darkness. 00:19:50.319 --> 00:19:53.740 Yet we look toward it with joy, don't we? It's 00:19:53.740 --> 00:19:58.119 an interesting dynamic that we walk in. And so 00:19:58.119 --> 00:20:01.819 we recognize that there's trial, that there's 00:20:01.819 --> 00:20:08.619 difficulty. So we need what Psalm 96 .6 has for 00:20:08.619 --> 00:20:15.819 us. What will fuel us on our pilgrimage? Strength 00:20:15.819 --> 00:20:19.880 and beauty, that which was within the sanctuary. 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:27.460 Can I just give you some words that make up the 00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:31.119 word strength and some words that make up the 00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:41.259 word beauty? It's words like boldness. Words 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:53.420 like power. Words like might, strength. How many 00:20:53.420 --> 00:20:56.259 of you look at your life and say it's full of 00:20:56.259 --> 00:21:04.619 boldness and power? It's words like majesty, 00:21:05.140 --> 00:21:12.940 honor, and bravery. Wow. You know, beauty, we 00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:15.680 often think so much of the outward comeliness 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:20.140 of something or someone, which is part of it. 00:21:20.700 --> 00:21:23.740 But the beauty that is in the sanctuary of the 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:27.460 Lord is so much more than that. The beauty and 00:21:27.460 --> 00:21:37.220 the sanctuary of the Lord make up bravery. I 00:21:37.220 --> 00:21:42.339 just had to sit on that for a long time. Bravery 00:21:42.339 --> 00:21:49.380 and honor are in his sanctuary. And so he's writing 00:21:49.380 --> 00:21:52.779 this psalm, and he's saying, the king is going 00:21:52.779 --> 00:21:58.720 to come again. He's going to return. And so in 00:21:58.720 --> 00:22:03.519 the sanctuary, you can find what you need, some 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:08.700 power, some might. Some honor, some bravery. 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:12.380 How many of you would look at your life and say, 00:22:12.539 --> 00:22:21.000 I feel brave? I tell you, our kids need bravery 00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:25.519 for the schools that they are getting. Some of 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:27.339 you that are teaching in the schools, you know, 00:22:27.380 --> 00:22:32.720 you need some bravery in there. It's a hard place 00:22:32.720 --> 00:22:37.970 for kids. They need what is in the sanctuary 00:22:37.970 --> 00:22:43.990 of the Lord. Bravery and honor, power and boldness. 00:22:45.289 --> 00:22:49.329 I just did a podcast where we were talking about 00:22:49.329 --> 00:22:54.230 the disciples and where they were after the resurrection 00:22:54.230 --> 00:22:59.470 of Jesus. And on the day of the resurrection, 00:22:59.650 --> 00:23:02.670 they were locked in a room for fear of the Jews. 00:23:05.069 --> 00:23:08.069 And that's where Jesus found them and breathed 00:23:08.069 --> 00:23:13.069 upon them. And after they were filled with the 00:23:13.069 --> 00:23:16.630 Holy Spirit, they tapped into something, didn't 00:23:16.630 --> 00:23:20.029 they? And they were no longer, you were not going 00:23:20.029 --> 00:23:23.049 to find them. When they were imprisoned, they 00:23:23.049 --> 00:23:27.329 were singing and praying. They were not hiding 00:23:27.329 --> 00:23:30.529 out in fear for what the Jews could do any longer. 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:34.740 They have become people of power, of might, of 00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:41.259 bravery. And we, no less, have access to that. 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:46.819 And so this morning, even as we were singing 00:23:46.819 --> 00:23:48.920 this morning, we were singing of the sacrifice 00:23:48.920 --> 00:23:54.519 of Jesus. And the truth is, is that we have access 00:23:54.519 --> 00:24:00.359 into the sanctuary of his presence. Because Jesus 00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:04.859 paid a high price for the access. When I stop 00:24:04.859 --> 00:24:08.960 and put fuel in my vehicle, I am paying a very 00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:13.980 high price. Man, I'm getting all kinds of amens 00:24:13.980 --> 00:24:22.220 for the gas prices today. Jesus, no less. He 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:27.440 paid a high price. For us to have access to what 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:31.259 we need as we await for the return of our king. 00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:36.720 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:42.599 Lord. And so this should affect how I live my 00:24:42.599 --> 00:24:46.259 life, shouldn't it? It should affect my life 00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:51.049 when I have access. To the sanctuary of his presence. 00:24:51.329 --> 00:24:55.150 Where there is strength and beauty for me to 00:24:55.150 --> 00:24:58.250 partake of. It should affect my life. It should 00:24:58.250 --> 00:25:01.230 affect how I lead my family. It should affect 00:25:01.230 --> 00:25:04.609 how I am in the workplace. It should affect how 00:25:04.609 --> 00:25:07.609 I treat my spouse. It should affect how I treat 00:25:07.609 --> 00:25:10.789 my kids. It should affect how I treat my body. 00:25:11.009 --> 00:25:13.990 It should affect how we treat one another. It 00:25:13.990 --> 00:25:16.730 should affect anything that my hand finds to 00:25:16.730 --> 00:25:20.869 do. of access into the throne room, into the 00:25:20.869 --> 00:25:25.130 sanctuary where strength and where beauty are 00:25:25.130 --> 00:25:32.289 available to me. No excuses. That removes every 00:25:32.289 --> 00:25:36.650 excuse. There is sufficiency in the sanctuary 00:25:36.650 --> 00:25:41.190 for what we need. He's given us everything that 00:25:41.190 --> 00:25:46.490 we need. And sometimes we think that As a believer, 00:25:46.670 --> 00:25:49.150 I just automatically, I'm going to walk in this, 00:25:49.190 --> 00:25:52.109 and I don't believe that's true. I don't believe 00:25:52.109 --> 00:25:54.470 you're automatically going to walk in power and 00:25:54.470 --> 00:25:56.970 boldness. I don't automatically think you're 00:25:56.970 --> 00:26:00.109 going to walk in bravery. I think you automatically 00:26:00.109 --> 00:26:08.700 have access to it. You have access to it. But 00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:11.400 whether like the gas stations, you keep passing 00:26:11.400 --> 00:26:14.339 up and passing up and passing up, never stopping 00:26:14.339 --> 00:26:19.599 to fuel your vehicle. There's no way to access 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:22.720 what is in the sanctuary except to get in the 00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:26.660 sanctuary. There's no way to access it except 00:26:26.660 --> 00:26:31.420 to get into his presence. Your spouse can't do 00:26:31.420 --> 00:26:33.900 it for you. Your parents can't do it for you. 00:26:34.650 --> 00:26:37.369 Your best friend, your pastor can't do it for 00:26:37.369 --> 00:26:40.910 you. You have to access the sanctuary of his 00:26:40.910 --> 00:26:45.769 presence yourself. And it is there waiting for 00:26:45.769 --> 00:26:50.690 you. It is there waiting for you. Beauty, bravery, 00:26:51.029 --> 00:26:59.630 power, and might are in his sanctuary. And so, 00:27:00.250 --> 00:27:02.829 You have access to this when you are confronting 00:27:02.829 --> 00:27:06.529 your hard places, when you're confronting your 00:27:06.529 --> 00:27:10.670 flesh that wants to do what it wants to do, right? 00:27:10.930 --> 00:27:14.789 How many just love crucifying the flesh? No, 00:27:14.890 --> 00:27:20.069 we don't. Very few of us like to fast. Very few 00:27:20.069 --> 00:27:23.170 of us like to be in silence and to stop moving. 00:27:23.589 --> 00:27:27.410 Very few of us like the spiritual disciplines 00:27:27.410 --> 00:27:32.670 because our flesh doesn't like it. Your flesh 00:27:32.670 --> 00:27:36.329 will not want to be still long enough to access 00:27:36.329 --> 00:27:42.910 the sanctuary. But we have access in it to confront 00:27:42.910 --> 00:27:48.069 our battles. I was thinking of this. In worship, 00:27:48.109 --> 00:27:53.609 I felt the Holy Spirit stirring in me. Some of 00:27:53.609 --> 00:28:00.250 you have kids that are prodigal kids. And I felt 00:28:00.250 --> 00:28:03.029 specifically that the Lord wanted to encourage 00:28:03.029 --> 00:28:10.609 some of you today that have prodigal kids. Often, 00:28:10.730 --> 00:28:14.130 people that have kids that have chosen to walk 00:28:14.130 --> 00:28:19.970 away from the Lord. live in very much fear over 00:28:19.970 --> 00:28:22.950 the state of their kids, of where they'll end 00:28:22.950 --> 00:28:29.089 up, which is valid, right? A valid concern. And 00:28:29.089 --> 00:28:34.849 when we let fear in, what that fear does is it 00:28:34.849 --> 00:28:38.910 renders, it takes away our authority to pray 00:28:38.910 --> 00:28:44.599 with effectiveness over our kids. And I remember 00:28:44.599 --> 00:28:49.940 early on in our journey with this, I really felt 00:28:49.940 --> 00:28:52.559 the Lord, which the Lord has always given me 00:28:52.559 --> 00:28:59.380 in unique ways, words over my own journey with 00:28:59.380 --> 00:29:07.180 a kid like this. And in that word, what he imparts, 00:29:07.180 --> 00:29:09.000 because this is what the word of the Lord does, 00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:14.440 it imparts faith. and it dispels fear. And I 00:29:14.440 --> 00:29:17.960 remember at one point the Lord saying, you don't 00:29:17.960 --> 00:29:21.859 get to determine your kids' journey and what 00:29:21.859 --> 00:29:24.380 I'm going to do for their life. And sometimes 00:29:24.380 --> 00:29:28.640 my kids' journeys, in order for them, for God 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:31.160 to do what is going to happen in their lives 00:29:31.160 --> 00:29:33.420 for the good of the kingdom, there's a journey 00:29:33.420 --> 00:29:38.059 they've got to walk. And for some of you that 00:29:38.059 --> 00:29:44.119 have that, it requires bravery to face that and 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:49.099 to walk that path and not let fear incapacitate 00:29:49.099 --> 00:29:52.759 you from praying for your kid, for standing in 00:29:52.759 --> 00:29:55.640 authority over demonic forces over your kid. 00:29:56.099 --> 00:29:58.640 Because although it's your kid's journey, right, 00:29:58.759 --> 00:30:02.819 they've been given to us to pray over and to 00:30:02.819 --> 00:30:06.740 cover. And so specifically this morning, some 00:30:06.740 --> 00:30:09.700 of you that have kids that are not walking with 00:30:09.700 --> 00:30:16.039 the Lord, he wants you to access bravery, to 00:30:16.039 --> 00:30:19.819 not be fearful, to not look. When we get in fear, 00:30:19.940 --> 00:30:22.079 we begin to imagine where they're going to end 00:30:22.079 --> 00:30:27.799 up. And instead, to see what God can do and begin 00:30:27.799 --> 00:30:32.509 to declare that over our kid. Thereby standing 00:30:32.509 --> 00:30:35.690 in the place of faith. It requires bravery. It 00:30:35.690 --> 00:30:40.329 is a hard thing to do. It is a hard thing to 00:30:40.329 --> 00:30:43.910 do. And the only way you can do it with victory 00:30:43.910 --> 00:30:48.470 is to stay in the sanctuary where strength and 00:30:48.470 --> 00:30:51.690 beauty reside. Where you have unending access 00:30:51.690 --> 00:30:57.630 to power and might and bravery. To stand in the 00:30:57.630 --> 00:31:02.559 place of faith for whatever your battle is. You 00:31:02.559 --> 00:31:07.440 have access. I was thinking as I was starting 00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:10.019 this sermon on this phrase, eyes on the road, 00:31:10.079 --> 00:31:14.119 keep your eyes on the road, right? And when you 00:31:14.119 --> 00:31:16.099 are teaching, anybody ever had to teach a kid 00:31:16.099 --> 00:31:20.240 to drive? Yeah, you're about to, Ben, Charlene. 00:31:24.980 --> 00:31:27.119 David, I think, is in that journey right now. 00:31:28.430 --> 00:31:30.710 I was so glad to get my fourth one through it. 00:31:30.710 --> 00:31:35.430 It's like, ah, one more to go. And what you have 00:31:35.430 --> 00:31:38.829 to teach them is about where they put their eyes. 00:31:40.089 --> 00:31:42.589 Because to keep your eyes on the road is to keep 00:31:42.589 --> 00:31:46.170 your eyes down the road, right? Not on the bumper 00:31:46.170 --> 00:31:49.250 right in front of you. Not on the lines right 00:31:49.250 --> 00:31:53.109 in front of you. Maintaining 100 % focus ahead 00:31:53.109 --> 00:31:59.019 of what is coming. keeps you on the road. And 00:31:59.019 --> 00:32:02.019 see, some of us lose sight of the long road. 00:32:02.440 --> 00:32:05.220 Some of us lose sight of where our road is leading 00:32:05.220 --> 00:32:09.279 us. And as soon as we start looking at the bumper 00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:13.099 in front of us, and that's all we see, we get 00:32:13.099 --> 00:32:18.200 into trouble. And yet, while our eyes are looking 00:32:18.200 --> 00:32:21.680 on the road down further, we're also teaching 00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:23.920 them, but you also got to keep in your peripheral. 00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:27.579 An eye on, you don't assume that that car is 00:32:27.579 --> 00:32:30.839 going to stop at the stoplight. You just assume 00:32:30.839 --> 00:32:32.339 they're going to come straight in and barrel 00:32:32.339 --> 00:32:37.119 into you. And so we're on this long view of the 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:40.539 king coming and all the while we have an enemy 00:32:40.539 --> 00:32:42.960 that wants to just barrel through the red lights 00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:48.039 and ram right into you. And so our vision is 00:32:48.039 --> 00:32:52.859 so important. Keeping our vision ahead to what 00:32:52.859 --> 00:32:57.059 is to come and yet being mindful of the hazards 00:32:57.059 --> 00:33:04.819 on the way. Some of us this morning need to refix 00:33:04.819 --> 00:33:09.880 our eyes on where we're going. You've been overcome. 00:33:09.900 --> 00:33:12.799 You've been overwhelmed. You've been discouraged. 00:33:13.460 --> 00:33:17.500 And today, you need to lift up your eyes. For 00:33:17.500 --> 00:33:20.619 the king is coming. In that verse, it was full 00:33:20.619 --> 00:33:24.579 of joy. All creation was full of joy because 00:33:24.579 --> 00:33:27.819 he was returning. The king is coming. They're 00:33:27.819 --> 00:33:30.980 filled with joy and excitement. The bridegroom 00:33:30.980 --> 00:33:34.299 is coming. There's excitement in the air. The 00:33:34.299 --> 00:33:38.200 bridegroom is coming. Right? I see Kenzie back 00:33:38.200 --> 00:33:41.299 there. No, that's not Kenzie. Kenzie's not here 00:33:41.299 --> 00:33:43.039 today. Kenzie and Gage are getting married in 00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:45.940 a couple of weeks. And what is surrounding the 00:33:45.940 --> 00:33:50.309 wedding? activity, joy, excitement. The king 00:33:50.309 --> 00:33:53.829 is coming. He's returning. And we see it reflected 00:33:53.829 --> 00:33:57.470 in Psalm 96. And some of us need to get our eyes 00:33:57.470 --> 00:34:00.750 back on that. We're off of true north and we 00:34:00.750 --> 00:34:03.450 need to get realigned with the coming of the 00:34:03.450 --> 00:34:10.210 king. And to fill up, to quit running on empty, 00:34:10.289 --> 00:34:15.639 to quit running on empty and to fill up. Yeah, 00:34:15.699 --> 00:34:20.119 people are going to do you wrong. Yeah, people 00:34:20.119 --> 00:34:22.800 are going to backstab you. Yeah, people are going 00:34:22.800 --> 00:34:24.920 to betray you. Yeah, things are going to get 00:34:24.920 --> 00:34:31.159 hard. But you have access to the strength and 00:34:31.159 --> 00:34:35.699 the beauty of the sanctuary. And so the team 00:34:35.699 --> 00:34:38.659 is going to come back this morning. And as we 00:34:38.659 --> 00:34:42.460 spend a few moments in worship, there are some 00:34:42.460 --> 00:34:45.630 of us that need to get realigned. with our vision. 00:34:46.309 --> 00:34:49.110 And there are some of us that need to tap in 00:34:49.110 --> 00:34:52.449 to what is available to you in the sanctuary. 00:34:53.170 --> 00:34:56.730 You need a fresh commitment to the sanctuary 00:34:56.730 --> 00:35:01.530 of his presence marking your life. You need a 00:35:01.530 --> 00:35:05.190 fresh commitment to quit trying to fuel yourself. 00:35:05.309 --> 00:35:08.510 You've been living on cheap gas and God wants 00:35:08.510 --> 00:35:11.269 to give you high quality gas. You laugh and I 00:35:11.269 --> 00:35:17.579 buy the cheap gas. You do too, confessions. How 00:35:17.579 --> 00:35:21.119 many are cheap gas buyers? Yeah. And some of 00:35:21.119 --> 00:35:22.800 you are like, no way am I putting that stuff 00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:25.219 in my vehicle. That's the way I feel about food 00:35:25.219 --> 00:35:27.400 in my body. There's no way that junk is coming 00:35:27.400 --> 00:35:32.860 into my body. Some of us spiritually have been 00:35:32.860 --> 00:35:37.380 fueling on cheap gas. And there is an abundance 00:35:37.380 --> 00:35:40.460 in the sanctuary he wants to give to you today. 00:35:42.090 --> 00:35:44.150 And so this morning, we're going to give you 00:35:44.150 --> 00:35:50.349 an opportunity. See, it's only 1136. And so for 00:35:50.349 --> 00:35:56.869 just a few moments, can we just in his presence, 00:35:57.349 --> 00:36:02.489 the sanctuary of his presence, can we ask for 00:36:02.489 --> 00:36:06.210 an impartation? Maybe there's a specific thing 00:36:06.210 --> 00:36:10.920 you need from God today. It's available in his 00:36:10.920 --> 00:36:15.579 presence. And so the team is going to lead us. 00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:20.800 And in a moment, if you need to fix your vision, 00:36:20.880 --> 00:36:23.659 if you need to access and tap into what is in 00:36:23.659 --> 00:36:26.599 the sanctuary, we just want to make space for 00:36:26.599 --> 00:36:30.130 you for a few moments. To push everything aside 00:36:30.130 --> 00:36:33.969 and say, God, my eyes are fixed on where we are 00:36:33.969 --> 00:36:37.750 going. Your soon and coming return. Would you 00:36:37.750 --> 00:36:41.329 fuel me today for it? Would you bestow your beauty 00:36:41.329 --> 00:36:45.070 upon me today? Would you bestow bravery upon 00:36:45.070 --> 00:36:48.769 me today? Would you bestow your strength, your 00:36:48.769 --> 00:36:53.449 power, and your might upon me today? And so let's 00:36:53.449 --> 00:36:55.889 just all stand for a moment in these closing 00:36:55.889 --> 00:37:03.079 moments. And as we all just worship, I don't 00:37:03.079 --> 00:37:05.820 want any spectators today because we are here 00:37:05.820 --> 00:37:10.659 in his presence. And as we all begin to worship 00:37:10.659 --> 00:37:15.920 the wonderful King Jesus, if you need to, for 00:37:15.920 --> 00:37:20.420 a moment, make a fresh altar in your life, I 00:37:20.420 --> 00:37:22.800 want you to just take a step out. And for some 00:37:22.800 --> 00:37:26.159 of you, just taking that step is a step of bravery. 00:37:28.360 --> 00:37:32.599 It's uncomfortable for you. But that's okay. 00:37:32.639 --> 00:37:35.159 There's bravery for you, right? There's strength 00:37:35.159 --> 00:37:38.099 and boldness for you. And some of you need to 00:37:38.099 --> 00:37:42.619 get a little bit bold, a little bit more into 00:37:42.619 --> 00:37:46.239 the might of the Lord and step out in faith and 00:37:46.239 --> 00:37:49.940 just say, God, I'm coming after you. I'm coming 00:37:49.940 --> 00:37:54.239 after the sanctuary of your presence. And I want 00:37:54.239 --> 00:37:58.269 to be filled fresh. I want to feed afresh on 00:37:58.269 --> 00:38:01.789 what is in the tangible presence of the Lord. 00:38:03.110 --> 00:38:06.690 Thank you, Lord. Let's just begin to worship 00:38:06.690 --> 00:38:09.650 for a few moments. And you make your way and 00:38:09.650 --> 00:38:14.329 find a place to just get into the sanctuary of 00:38:14.329 --> 00:38:15.030 his presence.