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We continue our summer in the Psalms as we're looking at God's faithfulness.

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And I chose to kind of work through our three forms of unity, the Belgian

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Confession, the Heideberg Catechism, and the Canons of Doric.

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Today I'm going to specifically stick with the Belgian Confession as I think it

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really brings out and illuminates some of the points that the psalmist is trying to

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make, King David, in Psalm 17.

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But I want to start by asking a question.

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We probably know people in our life that maybe has the title of being someone who

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is a, well, let's just call this faith a liar.

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Someone that really doesn't know the truth or doesn't really speak into the

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truth much.

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And we may know those people in our lives.

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Possibly, just possibly, we might be that in other people's lives.

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And I hope that that's not the case, that deceit is not something that the Lord

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approves of in scriptures, that when we lie, we are not only breaking a

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commandment, but we're causing division in the body, especially in the church.

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But when you know, when you're talking to someone and they are just either

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embellishing a story, now this goes way beyond how big the fish might have been,

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right, because that really doesn't matter too much.

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But understand, in other things in life, when you're talking with someone and you

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just kind of know that they are, insert however you want to describe them, in

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that, what are some things going through your mind?

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When you know that whatever this person is saying is just not true.

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What goes through your mind?

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Oh, really?

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Okay.

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I could also hear you saying that out loud, so not just in your thoughts.

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What else?

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Yeah.

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Oh, here we go again.

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All right, yeah.

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Here we go again.

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Anything else?

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Charlie Brown teacher noise, right?

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Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah.

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Okay.

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Thank you.

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That's not when I start preaching, right?

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That's just, no, okay, good.

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All right.

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We just wanted to make sure.

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Others?

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Yeah.

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What?

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Must.

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Oh, that's some of the new lingo, right?

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That's, now we're all hip.

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All right, so must.

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You think that in your mind, must.

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Now, you're going to be in the medical field.

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You're going to must a lot, okay, that people are going to come and do a lot of

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made up stories.

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So, you're just being prepared for it.

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Okay, are you going to write that down on their chart?

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You probably can't tell because of the HIPAA laws, but, you know, must.

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All right.

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Hopefully, you're, whoever is your boss knows what that means.

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So, how many of you actually just call it out when they start talking and just

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go right into the conflict?

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It's where people are actively, just like a Smedberg, right?

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Yep, just like a Smedberg.

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I preach, is that true?

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Is why I just call that out?

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He has no time for that mess.

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Absolutely.

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I love that.

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You know, but the thing that David does in the Psalms is that David asked the

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Lord to change his mouth often.

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That David knew that he was prone to embellishing.

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David knew that he loved a good story, especially early on in his life.

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And the Psalms are filled with him confessing that.

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Confessing that he would have a heart that is true because he believes, even

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though it would have been after, right, he would have believed what Solomon, his

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son, wrote, that the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

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And so, one of the things that we're going to talk about today is

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understanding that the Lord is faithful, not only in every season, but in

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everything we bring, good, bad, and ugly.

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That there are cries that we see in the Scriptures are because of what are the

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things going on in the world.

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And we could do that today.

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We could cry out about all the junk going on in the world, and that would

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fill our prayer journals if we had them.

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But it's also about the junk going on inside of each and every one of us.

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That when we are honest with our shortcomings, we're honest with the act

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of sin in our life, we cry out to the Lord, hopefully in the same vein.

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So, we're going to jump into Psalm 17.

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We're going to start with verses 1 and 2, where David writes,

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"'Hear a just cause, O Lord, attend to my cry, give ear to my prayer from lips

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free of deceit.

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From your presence, let my vindication come.

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Let your eyes behold the right.'"

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So, what we see is we see David in a moment of really on a spiritual high.

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We see David coming to the Lord in a good place because he's recognizing

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that he's being honest with the Lord today.

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And I think for some of us, we struggle with that.

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Because no matter how long you've been in church, maybe you've been in church

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all your life, and you have this understanding that I'll bring God

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whatever I desire to bring God, and he'll just have to deal with it.

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It's kind of a denial of the fact that God is sovereign, God is overall,

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and he knows exactly what you're going to bring before you bring it.

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And that also means he knows what you're not bringing.

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And I think, and I know I'm guilty of it, there are times that I only go so far

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with God because I go, God, I don't know if you can handle the rest.

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Or I'm not ready to give that over to you yet.

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Or I'm not ready to confess that yet.

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And then I look like the fool, or you look like the fool, because we're talking

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to someone who already knows.

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And all God is urging us to is to confess, as David says, free from the

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deceit in our lips.

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David begins by appealing to God's justice and his readiness to listen.

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Now, as someone who struggles with listening, this one hit home.

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I know you're all surprised.

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I love to talk.

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It's sometimes very difficult for me to listen because as people are talking,

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I'm planning what I'm going to say next.

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That is not active listening.

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It's something I'm working on.

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In this moment, David is wanting to listen because David has a renewed

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confidence in his own integrity and his trust in God as the ultimate judge.

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On the flip side, we don't go far enough.

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We try to hide from God when we are walking in active sin.

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And we know the life of David.

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David lived and walked in active sin that brought death to people.

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And trust and adultery are in his background.

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So this idea of confessing, this idea of standing before God without

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deceit in our lips actually plays a pretty important point to God's

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faithfulness.

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It's hard to accept God's faithfulness when you're living in a lie or you're

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living in an active sin.

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It's hard to accept God's faithfulness in this season of life if you're not

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ready to be honest with God about what's going on in your life.

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How can you?

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It's all made up.

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You're putting lipstick on a pig.

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However you want to describe it, if we're not being honest, then

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ultimately whatever we're trying to build in that relationship doesn't

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mean anything.

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Because ultimately when the truth comes out, that relationship will fall.

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Whether it's us and God, me and my spouse, me and a friend, all of these

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things, if we're not being honest, if we're not building upon honesty and

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integrity, then it will ultimately fall because the ground is not worth

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standing on.

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And so understanding that God's faithfulness is there and what do we

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need to do to be prepared to receive it, the Belgian Confession helps us in

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Article 26.

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We believe that we have no access to God except through the only

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mediator and advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous.

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But this mediator, whom the Father has appointed between himself and us,

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ought not terrify us by his greatness so that we look for one another

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according to our fancy.

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For neither in heaven nor among the creatures on earth is there anyone who

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loves us more than Jesus Christ does.

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So what is the Belgian Confession encouraging us to stand on that we need

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to be honest with ourselves as we come to the Father in prayer, as we come to

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engage that intimate relationship with God.

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So one way that God's faithfulness can be received by us no matter the seasons

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of life is your prayer life.

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Now I could ask how, you know, raise your hand if you're comfortable with the

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level of prayer life that you have, but I'm not going to ask that because I

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think that's the wrong question.

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The question is are you praying?

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Am I praying?

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Now for some of you, like wow, that whole installation thing, that

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congregation prayer, we prayed like three times.

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I'm good for the week.

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That's not how that works.

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That is corporate prayer that we are called to have that relationship with God

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one on one, mano-e-mano, when it comes to our prayer life.

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So how do we grow in prayer?

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How do we model that?

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Well I know at one point we had a prayer team in this church and I know that we

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had a ministry called Praying Apart where it was a rotation of people that went

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downstairs and prayed for myself, prayed for the musicians, prayed for the

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nursery, prayed for all things going on during the service.

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And I think after COVID that stopped.

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I'm not 100% sure if it's start back up again, but if it hasn't, this is a nudge

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from the stage that we should probably resurrect a prayer ministry in this

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church because it is important and right and good for a church to be in prayer

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for what is going on.

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Now don't get me wrong, elders, deacons, the leaders, staff, we pray as we

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discern and we do all of those things, but having those who have a gift of

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prayer, that there is actually giftings in prayer.

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Now this doesn't get out of anybody.

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We all are called to pray, but there are some that bringing about organizing

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communal and confessional prayer is gifting and I know there's at least four

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of you that I'm this close to naming you from the stage, but I'm not going to do

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that.

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You know who you are that I know have been gifted in the spirit of prayer, but

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maybe you've never thought about that.

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Maybe you go, wow, that's something I enjoy praying.

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I love praying over people and for people.

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I love discerning the body and praying for the church.

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Awesome.

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I think that's something that we need to probably start back up again because

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bringing our needs before the Lord week in and week out is a faithful

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understanding of what David is telling us.

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But what about our personal side?

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An application to this is a regular prayer time.

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Setting aside specific times each day for prayer.

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Making it a priority to communicate with God and share your heart with him.

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Trusting in his faithful listening.

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For some of us it's right when we wake up.

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For some of us it's we wake up, we go to the bathroom and then we pray.

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That's fine too.

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For some of us it's late at night that we pray right when our pillow hits the

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pillow and then we go, oh, and then we just sleep it away.

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If you're anything like my wife, her prayer time cannot be at the end because

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I believe she's asleep before her head hits her pillow.

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I think it's in that down kind of, she's out.

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So that would probably not be fruitful prayer.

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I know for some of you, because you've told me, you have long commutes and

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that is a time of prayer.

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I guarantee that that's probably bringing down your road rage.

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Your road rage is if you use your commutes for prayer time, it's probably a

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good thing, but having a regular prayer time, becoming a habit.

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For some of us it might be the need to journal our prayers.

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To actually record and write.

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Some of us are built that way in our brain that we need to have it listed out.

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And that's a very powerful thing.

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So if we're going to be attuned and ask God for that relationship, engage it in a

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very practical way.

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Because we have to trust that as we're doing that, as we're vulnerable with God,

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as we are being honest with ourselves and confessing our sins, trusting He is

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faithful and just, we take solace in His faithfulness to be our protection.

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Verses seven through nine.

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Wonderously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from

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their adversaries at your right hand.

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Keep me as the apple of your eye.

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Hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly

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enemies who surround me.

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Here is a recognition that when we are in right standing with God, we can receive

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a very quippy saying by David that we are the apple of God's eye.

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Now, who are the apples of your eyes in life?

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Who gets that title nowadays?

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Family, right?

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Kids mainly, for the most part, right?

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That kids get that, oh, they're the apple of our eye.

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For some of you, it's your dogs and cats.

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I think you're doing it wrong, but I'm not here to judge.

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You know, but this understanding of claiming someone as the apple of our eye

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means what?

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What does it mean to be the apple of somebody's eye?

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Very important.

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It's kind of a weird sentence that you are the apple of my eye that I don't fully get

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it.

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I tried to research it, and there are a lot of different takes, and only half of them

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would have been appropriate to share from the stage of what that actually means.

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But what we can center on this section of scripture, it's an ancient phrase

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indicating something precious and carefully guarded.

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The metaphor of being hidden in the shadow of the wings draws on a protective instinct

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of a bird sheltering its young.

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So in this, though there's adoration and an understanding of who I am in Jesus, there's

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also a nod and an understanding that I am being protected by him.

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But as we grow up, let's take dating relationships for example, trust isn't built right away.

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That over the years, months, weeks, whatever, you build that trust, and my hope is 16 years

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married, 21 years together, that Carrie knows that in a time where it's needed that I will

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protect her.

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Hopefully my kids understand that if there ever comes a time where they need that protection

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that I would be there.

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It's the same relationship we have with God, that in our times of struggle that God is

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protecting us, but when we keep tallies and go, well, the cancer came back, or the relationship

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still isn't restored, God, how are you protecting me because I'm being hurt?

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There's an understanding of physical and eternal protection.

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You know, we need to understand that as we grow in God, we grow in a common understanding

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of what God is bringing and doing in our lives.

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It's not necessarily for the 90, 72, 104, 11 years we may have on this earth.

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That when we grow in our relationship with God, we need to grow that it's his way, his

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will for our lives.

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But for a lot of us, we just tightened up because we don't like that.

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We don't like that when all of a sudden there's a tragedy and a child dies.

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When that relationship that we have that's been hard for 20 years still isn't resolved.

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We don't like that because we want it on our comfort level.

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We want it done via our will, not God's will.

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In order to be a follower of Jesus, we need to submit 100% to God's will, to his sovereign

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reign in our life.

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Because God's playing the long game.

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I've said it before, I'll say it again.

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If we're given 90 years on this earth, that is a crumb of dust in light of eternity.

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And that's where God wants you with him forever and ever.

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Amen.

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And so we look to that protection.

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We confess those things to a God that loves us and protects us.

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Article 13 of the Belgian Confession says, we believe that the same God after he had

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created all things did not forsake them nor give them up to fortune or chance.

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That he rules and governs according to his holy will.

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So that nothing happens in this world without his appointment.

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But if you want to struggle with that, you want to look at the things of the world and

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put up your dukes with God and say you're not doing your job, you're putting yourself

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in a very unhealthy place.

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You're putting yourself into a destructive place.

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And this is going to sting.

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You're putting yourself in the same place Lucifer did before he fell from grace.

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Before he fell from heaven.

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Because now you're on par with thinking you can do it as good or, if we're being honest,

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better than God.

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That we want to take the wheel of our life and we want to be the driver.

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We want to be the decider.

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We want to have everything figured out.

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But friends, that's not a life of faith.

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It can't be a life of faith.

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Because ultimately if you're going to be the one steering the wheel of your life, you have

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to have faith in yourself not to screw it up.

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To swerve when you need to swerve.

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To break when you need to break.

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To gun it when you need to gun it.

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God already has that laid out for you.

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God already has that laid out for me.

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And though we may only see this much ahead, we have to trust and take it on faith.

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So what does that look like as far as Munster Church goes?

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Well, that comes with honesty and leadership.

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That comes with an understanding of vision and mission to move forward.

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But that shows that part of our job then is to take all of us deeper than where we are

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today.

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That we need to grow in our understanding of God's Word.

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We need to grow in our understanding of worship.

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We need to grow in our understanding of what it means to be at 214 Ridge Road.

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And it takes all of us.

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It's not just put on the six guys that were installed today and the other guys that are

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still in.

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It takes all of us to do that.

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It takes volunteering.

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It takes being the hands and feet.

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Whether it's working with our food pantry, volunteering in our ministries like Cadets

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and Gems, it's taking that step of faith.

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Saying, I don't know how to do this well, but I trust that God's going to help me.

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I'm going to trust that the team is going to equip me.

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I'm going to trust that the elders and the deacons and the pastors will be there if I

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have questions.

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What does that look like internally?

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The first thing that comes to mind is not going into a ministry with an agenda.

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That's the worst.

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Especially for people that may have been in a ministry for years and years and years,

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took the season off and then come back in with the understanding is we're going to make

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this exactly how it was 30 years ago.

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It doesn't make any sense.

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I love the passion.

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I love the long standing understanding about a ministry or a certain program, but it's

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coming in and learning.

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All six of you that were up here understand what I just said.

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It comes in, you come in and you learn.

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Because we know those people that come in and just try to take over.

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The people that know everything, right?

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The people that come in and fake it until they make it, they're exhausting and they

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really hurt ministry teams.

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But it's understanding that we're going to work together for the common good.

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Why?

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Because Jesus calls us to do that.

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That makes for healthy ministries.

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Doing the work for those new gems and cadet counselors that will come out of the word

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work over the next couple of weeks, it's learning about gems and cadets.

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Learning from those that have done it, putting in practice the best practices for the ministry.

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But working together and not doing it alone.

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Because here's the thing, if the Lord's not going to take a chance on any of you that

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are going to step into the ministry, how dare you take a chance in trying to figure it all

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out on your own?

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Learn from those that have done it.

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Sit in and be a sponge and soak it in.

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On your own time, do your own study.

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Grow deeper.

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Grow not only in the Scriptures, but grow in your relationship with God.

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Because then God at the right time will appoint you to maybe bring a kid into that.

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Maybe you'll have a cadet or a gem or a junior high or senior high youth and go, how do I

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grow deeper in Bible study?

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How do I grow?

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How can I hear the voice of God better?

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And if you don't know how to do that, or you've never wrestled with that yourself, what are

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you going to tell them?

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Be honest, what are you going to tell them?

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Go ask the pastor.

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I don't want that extra job, right?

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God has called you to that season.

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Don't get me wrong, I'll help you in that.

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But remember, you can't give what you don't have.

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So many times we enter these ministries and we enter into the life of the church trying

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to do it all ourselves, trying to pour out with a glass that has been empty for a long,

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long time.

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Because the same God that has called us to be honest and open, that has put His protection

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on us, will deliver us in the end.

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Verses 13 through 15, arise, O Lord, confront Him, subdue Him, deliver my soul from the

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wicked by your sword, from men by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion

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is in this life.

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You fill their womb with treasure, they are satisfied with children, and they leave their

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abundance to their infants.

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As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness when I awake.

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I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

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Here David is contrasting the fate of the world.

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He's calling it out.

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They're going to get what's coming to them.

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They're putting all of their hopes and needs in themself.

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But God looks to the Lord.

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He looks forward to a deeper, eternal satisfaction in God's presence.

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This is a wonderful hope of Jesus found in the Old Testament.

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That as we look forward, as David was looking forward to the Messiah, he knew that these

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kind of things would be offered to the world.

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This hope, this satisfaction in the abundance of life put in them by the creator of all.

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David's hope is not just in the temporal, worldly deliverance, but in the eternal vision

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of God's face.

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As I close this morning, are we seeking God's face?

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I guarantee you in the process for lots, we were seeking God's face.

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That's how that process works.

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But in our life, in the life of the church, but in our lives individually, when's the

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last time you sought God's face?

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When is the last time you've asked for that meeting with the holy, just you and him, to

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talk through the things of life?

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To confess the things that you need to confess, to hear the encouragement and the life that

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God gives all of us?

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Belgian Confession, Article 37.

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Finally, we believe, according to God's word, that at the time appointed by the Lord has

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come, which is unknown to all creatures, and the number of the elect is complete, our Lord

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Jesus Christ will come from heaven, corporately and visibly, as he ascends, with great glory

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and majesty, to declare himself judge of the quick and the dead.

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Can you put that back up, April?

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This is why, in my opinion, the Belgian Confession, this is my favorite confession that we have,

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is because of this article right here.

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Because there is a phrase in this, and we've talked about it already, a lot of you know

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it's coming, that tells me our work is still to be done.

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Our work is not done.

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Yes, the seven of you that are now off of Elder and Deacon, I want you to rest, but

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our work, your work, is not done.

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Right there, right in the middle, and the number of the elect is complete.

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Jesus has not come back yet.

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That majesty and that glory has not, we have not been caught up in that, we have not met

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him in the air, we are not in heaven yet.

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Because there's still work to be done.

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So how do we do this?

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How do we look towards that daily, when the struggles of life want to knock us down?

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We need to keep an eternal perspective.

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In moments of struggle, remind yourself of the eternal joy and fulfillment that awaits

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in God's presence.

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Write down your challenges in your prayers and reflect on how they fit into God's larger

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plan for your life.

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Part of it is participating in the life of the church.

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And it's practicing gratitude.

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This is a big one for me.

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Maintaining, maybe a gratitude journal, but noting the daily blessings and the ways God

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has delivered you.

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This practice helps shift the focus from ourselves and our present difficulties to God's ongoing

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faithfulness and his future promises.

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It gives you an eternal perspective.

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And friends, that is my prayer for me and all of you every day.

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Is that at Munster Church, we can have eternal perspective.

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We can help give that perspective to each other.

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It makes these giant issues not so giant, but it also allows us to look forward to what

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God is doing.

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So often in our life, we want to look back and either beat ourselves up for the hundredth

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time, test that the Lord's even forgiven us, as far as the east is from the west, he remembers

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your sin no more, but he keeps us moving forward in life.

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Knowing that this current struggle you may find yourself in, this current time of famine

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or testing isn't it.

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That's not all that there is for you.

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This too shall pass in keeping that eternal fixation on Christ, the author and the perfecter

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of our faith.

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So as we grow, church, let us grow well.

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Let us grow in the right areas of God.

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The loving God and the loving people part, let that be the first and foremost.

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Let us struggle with those that struggle.

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Let us have joy with those who have joy.

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Let us give perspective to all things in life until the elect is complete.

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Please stand if you are able.

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As we are doing with this sermon series, let us conclude together in unison with our closing

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prayer.

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Heavenly Father, we thank you for your unwavering faithfulness.

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Help us to trust in your listening ear, protective care, and powerful deliverance.

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Guide us to actively participate in the life of Munster Church through prayer, service,

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and fellowship.

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May we support one another and grow in our faith together.

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In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

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And remember, after the benediction, those new leans to the church, we pray.