WEBVTT 00:00:01.429 --> 00:00:04.650 Fear. That is not something we really like to 00:00:04.650 --> 00:00:06.669 talk about, but we're going to today because 00:00:06.669 --> 00:00:10.390 that is what Psalm 56 is about. So I want to 00:00:10.390 --> 00:00:13.210 kind of start... When we were kids, or if you're 00:00:13.210 --> 00:00:15.310 kids, where you are now, okay? What are some 00:00:15.310 --> 00:00:17.289 things that you were, and if you're a guest, 00:00:17.410 --> 00:00:19.469 I like to kind of get some conversation going, 00:00:19.769 --> 00:00:22.289 A, to wake some of you up, but also to kind of 00:00:22.289 --> 00:00:25.050 see where we are as far as this idea of fear. 00:00:25.129 --> 00:00:26.969 When you were growing up, let's start when we're 00:00:26.969 --> 00:00:28.690 growing up, because we'll kind of work it through 00:00:28.690 --> 00:00:31.629 as life gets older, more complicated, and blah, 00:00:31.670 --> 00:00:33.590 blah, blah, blah, blah. When you were younger, 00:00:33.710 --> 00:00:35.670 what were some things that you were afraid of? 00:00:36.350 --> 00:00:44.070 Yeah, up at the balcony. The cold winds? The 00:00:44.070 --> 00:00:46.549 coal bin. Oh, got it. I was like, cold winds. 00:00:47.250 --> 00:00:53.049 Move. But yeah, coal bins. Sure. All right, others. 00:00:53.829 --> 00:00:58.509 Yeah. Monsters under the bed. Absolutely. Monsters 00:00:58.509 --> 00:01:05.290 under the bed. Right? Anyone else? Yeah. Clowns. 00:01:05.989 --> 00:01:09.870 Just air high five. I feel seen. Thank you. I 00:01:09.870 --> 00:01:13.590 had a clown fall on me in the Oak Lawn 4th of 00:01:13.590 --> 00:01:18.209 July parade, and now I hate clowns and the 4th 00:01:18.209 --> 00:01:21.390 of July. And so, no, I don't hate the 4th of 00:01:21.390 --> 00:01:25.870 July. Calm down over here. Okay, anyone else? 00:01:27.109 --> 00:01:31.989 Yeah. You're scared of the dark. All right, let's 00:01:31.989 --> 00:01:34.670 see her today. How many people are scared of 00:01:34.670 --> 00:01:37.769 the dark? You are not alone. You are not alone. 00:01:37.930 --> 00:01:44.290 Okay. Anyone else? Yeah. Fear of drowning. Okay. 00:01:44.549 --> 00:01:46.950 Thank you. All right. Fear of drowning. Absolutely. 00:01:47.290 --> 00:01:50.030 We were going good. Clowns, dark, death. Okay. 00:01:50.069 --> 00:01:54.930 Thanks, Max. In the back. Up top. Oh, no. Sorry. 00:01:55.349 --> 00:01:58.069 You're not raising your hand. Anyone else? Yeah. 00:02:03.709 --> 00:02:10.590 Okay, Mary, why are you scared of chickens? Sure. 00:02:17.169 --> 00:02:19.550 I feel like we need to spend some time with this. 00:02:20.210 --> 00:02:23.629 Yeah. Again, just like cold winds, I'd say move, 00:02:24.030 --> 00:02:26.189 right? Like if you're living on a farm scared 00:02:26.189 --> 00:02:28.469 of chickens, no, but if that was your job, right? 00:02:28.610 --> 00:02:30.909 I mean, but I think we all can admit they're 00:02:30.909 --> 00:02:34.990 delicious. So understanding. You know, that fear 00:02:34.990 --> 00:02:37.849 when we're younger can be a lot of different 00:02:37.849 --> 00:02:40.530 things, right? I didn't know what I would get. 00:02:40.669 --> 00:02:43.810 But as you get older, fear becomes different. 00:02:43.949 --> 00:02:46.449 And fear becomes different because we experience 00:02:46.449 --> 00:02:49.870 different things, okay? Mandy, I'm going to ask 00:02:49.870 --> 00:02:54.530 you, what does FOMO mean? The fear of missing 00:02:54.530 --> 00:02:58.610 out, okay? That was, that probably characterizes 00:02:58.610 --> 00:03:01.819 one of the greatest fears that I had. have and 00:03:01.819 --> 00:03:05.000 probably will have in life is the fear of missing 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:07.759 out right they coined that term i don't know 00:03:07.759 --> 00:03:10.840 11 years ago i just made that up but understand 00:03:10.840 --> 00:03:13.580 that that that was a that was a real fear for 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:16.520 me if i were to ask how what are we afraid of 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:21.889 now i probably Would not hear too many cold bins 00:03:21.889 --> 00:03:24.389 or cold winds. Probably wouldn't hear a whole 00:03:24.389 --> 00:03:27.490 lot of chickens. You know, I think the dark would 00:03:27.490 --> 00:03:29.469 still be there. Monsters potentially under your 00:03:29.469 --> 00:03:33.389 bed. Clowns always. But understand that our fear 00:03:33.389 --> 00:03:37.530 deepens as we get older. And one of the things 00:03:37.530 --> 00:03:39.750 that David's going to talk about to us today 00:03:39.750 --> 00:03:43.810 is that if we're being honest, life is full of 00:03:43.810 --> 00:03:46.740 moments where we're scared. Fear comes in many 00:03:46.740 --> 00:03:50.000 different shapes, sizes, senses, all of those 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:53.919 things. The biggest one statistically, the fear 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:57.099 of unknown, the fear of public speaking, and 00:03:57.099 --> 00:03:59.159 the fear of spiders. Those are kind of in your 00:03:59.159 --> 00:04:01.719 top. Those are almost taking the podium year 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:06.020 after year as far as what people are afraid of. 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:09.939 But what David's going to bring has to do with 00:04:09.939 --> 00:04:13.639 the fear of people. Not fear of people like you 00:04:13.639 --> 00:04:15.639 might be an introvert and you're just scared 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:18.259 of people that way. It goes way deeper than that. 00:04:18.300 --> 00:04:20.100 And that introverts aren't necessarily scared 00:04:20.100 --> 00:04:21.879 of people. They just get exhausted by them easier. 00:04:22.519 --> 00:04:26.860 It's fear of betrayal and fear of personal failure. 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:32.420 Life seemed easy when all it was was clowns or 00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:35.720 chickens or different things like that. But when 00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:38.980 all of a sudden our kind of sin gets put in the 00:04:38.980 --> 00:04:41.899 mix. Fear of betrayal, personal failure, we all 00:04:41.899 --> 00:04:45.300 face moments where just life seems uncertain. 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:48.180 Whether it's the uncertainty of your profession, 00:04:48.439 --> 00:04:51.439 of your family, of finances, of relationships. 00:04:52.600 --> 00:04:56.939 Fear takes different voices and takes on different 00:04:56.939 --> 00:05:01.319 masks in our life. And the biggest fear, one 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:04.500 of the ones that David felt, was that idea of 00:05:04.500 --> 00:05:07.579 betrayal and of the relationships he had around 00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:10.199 him. And the question that we're going to be 00:05:10.199 --> 00:05:12.620 tasked with today is how do we respond? Because 00:05:12.620 --> 00:05:16.319 Psalm 56 is a beautiful example of how David, 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:19.879 surrounded by enemies, gripped by fear, responds 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:25.100 with a simple truth. By putting trust in God. 00:05:27.300 --> 00:05:29.839 And I say simple truth, but I know that it's 00:05:29.839 --> 00:05:33.060 not. It's simple to say. It's simple to read. 00:05:33.379 --> 00:05:36.680 It's not necessarily simple to do. That when 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:39.899 life... Feels like the puzzle's been broken and 00:05:39.899 --> 00:05:42.579 the pieces are everywhere. We have fear that 00:05:42.579 --> 00:05:44.579 God can actually put it all back in the box. 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:47.579 That God can put it together. But guess what, 00:05:47.620 --> 00:05:50.699 friends? He can. This psalm speaks to the reality 00:05:50.699 --> 00:05:54.259 of facing fear, but also the powerful and faith 00:05:54.259 --> 00:05:59.879 -feared response of choosing to trust God in 00:05:59.879 --> 00:06:03.040 our midst. And there, I think, I just uncovered 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:07.069 for all of us our biggest fear in life. is not 00:06:07.069 --> 00:06:10.529 only to trust ourselves, but to trust others. 00:06:11.470 --> 00:06:13.850 I think if we're being honest, that is something 00:06:13.850 --> 00:06:18.269 we are fearful of. David's confidence in God's 00:06:18.269 --> 00:06:21.189 deliverance will shine through today, and his 00:06:21.189 --> 00:06:23.949 response will be one of faith and gratitude. 00:06:24.449 --> 00:06:26.810 And that gratitude piece threw me for a loop 00:06:26.810 --> 00:06:29.470 when I was working on this this week. Have I 00:06:29.470 --> 00:06:33.370 ever been thankful? for the fear in my life. 00:06:33.529 --> 00:06:36.269 That doesn't make sense to me. But let's first 00:06:36.269 --> 00:06:40.629 look at trusting God while we are afraid. So 00:06:40.629 --> 00:06:43.110 we're in Psalm 56, the first four verses. Again, 00:06:43.170 --> 00:06:45.269 we read from the ESV. If you have a different 00:06:45.269 --> 00:06:47.649 translation, that is fine too. The first four 00:06:47.649 --> 00:06:51.410 verses. Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples 00:06:51.410 --> 00:06:54.689 on me. All day long an attacker oppresses me. 00:06:54.750 --> 00:06:57.569 My enemies trample on me all day long, for many 00:06:57.569 --> 00:07:00.930 attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my 00:07:00.930 --> 00:07:04.569 trust in you. In God whose word I praise, in 00:07:04.569 --> 00:07:09.069 God I trust. I shall not be afraid. What can 00:07:09.069 --> 00:07:13.810 flesh do to me? So right here, I think David 00:07:13.810 --> 00:07:17.329 is bringing to the fact that fear is a universal 00:07:17.329 --> 00:07:21.910 human experience. David's words reflect a healthy, 00:07:21.970 --> 00:07:26.569 faith -filled response. But we know... Reading 00:07:26.569 --> 00:07:30.170 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, David didn't always 00:07:30.170 --> 00:07:32.610 respond well to fear. He had to learn it. It 00:07:32.610 --> 00:07:35.269 was a learned response. David doesn't pretend 00:07:35.269 --> 00:07:38.470 that fear isn't real. Instead, he's learned, 00:07:38.709 --> 00:07:41.790 probably out of trial and error, to bring those 00:07:41.790 --> 00:07:44.290 fears to God. And I know that that's hard to 00:07:44.290 --> 00:07:47.089 do. That sometimes when we're afraid, we want 00:07:47.089 --> 00:07:49.569 to solve the problem. Right? If it's a fear of 00:07:49.569 --> 00:07:51.509 finances, we need to go out and make more money 00:07:51.509 --> 00:07:54.189 or we do things that we think will help our financials 00:07:54.189 --> 00:07:56.829 or relationships we think we can do it when there's 00:07:56.829 --> 00:08:00.569 hurt and pain and chaos. But I think David reminds 00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:04.389 us this morning it's very simple but hard. He 00:08:04.389 --> 00:08:07.550 chooses to trust in God's power and protection. 00:08:08.110 --> 00:08:10.870 Even when the situation seems overwhelming. What 00:08:10.870 --> 00:08:13.470 can flesh do to me? What is the biggest fear 00:08:13.470 --> 00:08:15.730 that that question can bring up? What can flesh 00:08:15.730 --> 00:08:20.560 do to us? Very simply, it can end us, right? 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:24.680 Someone could end your life. That could be a 00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:27.680 fear that you have. I don't know how many of 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:30.639 you have that fear realistically in your life 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:33.120 today, but David had that fear. Why? Because 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:35.220 he was surrounded by enemies. Enemies on the 00:08:35.220 --> 00:08:36.980 outside, enemies on the inside. We've worked 00:08:36.980 --> 00:08:39.379 through that betrayal. Pastor Andy talked about 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:42.139 that last week. But I think what he's telling 00:08:42.139 --> 00:08:45.220 us, church, today, is the key to overcoming fear 00:08:45.220 --> 00:08:50.720 is not to deny it. Right? You know, you think 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:52.899 about, let's take the monster under your bed. 00:08:53.019 --> 00:08:55.379 One of the greatest things that you can, the 00:08:55.379 --> 00:08:57.860 greatest triumph over that is doing what, Joey? 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:03.809 When the fear is what? Looking. Right? Or waking 00:09:03.809 --> 00:09:06.389 mom up to go look for you. Right? All of those 00:09:06.389 --> 00:09:08.769 things. And she'll bring a flashlight. She'll 00:09:08.769 --> 00:09:11.649 do all of those things. Right? One of the things 00:09:11.649 --> 00:09:13.830 we had, and this is just time of confession where 00:09:13.830 --> 00:09:17.389 it's okay. We had a monster spray. Right? Spoiler 00:09:17.389 --> 00:09:20.990 alert, friends. It was just water with maybe 00:09:20.990 --> 00:09:22.830 a little bit of like cologne. I don't know. Maybe 00:09:22.830 --> 00:09:25.029 we wanted the monster to smell good. But understand 00:09:25.029 --> 00:09:29.129 that like we would spray it and our kids as younger, 00:09:29.309 --> 00:09:34.340 not now. Right? The parent brought comfort. But 00:09:34.340 --> 00:09:36.659 what did the child had to do? The child had to 00:09:36.659 --> 00:09:39.200 bring the fear first. So what David is saying 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:41.419 is, children, bring your fears to our heavenly 00:09:41.419 --> 00:09:46.379 father because he understands. He doesn't deny 00:09:46.379 --> 00:09:49.899 that the fear exists, but he trusts God in the 00:09:49.899 --> 00:09:52.360 face of it. David's immediate response to fear 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:56.080 is to turn to God. Yet for us, we don't always 00:09:56.080 --> 00:09:58.799 do that. When we're afraid of something, we want 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:00.820 to solve it ourselves, we want to try to put 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:02.500 that fear on somebody else, or we try to just 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:06.440 believe it doesn't exist. Putting his trust in 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:10.399 God and acknowledging that only God can provide 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:14.080 the rescue from that fear, I think is the key 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:19.580 component here. It's our faith. Now, maybe you're 00:10:19.580 --> 00:10:21.299 walking with someone in life. Maybe you're doing 00:10:21.299 --> 00:10:23.519 some discipleship to someone that's maybe a younger 00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:27.019 believer. And every aspect of the world is causing 00:10:27.019 --> 00:10:29.080 them fear. Yet they look at you and go, well, 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:30.919 you're not afraid about the things that I'm afraid 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:34.519 of. Because one of the key parts of growing strong 00:10:34.519 --> 00:10:37.220 in the Lord is understanding his sovereignty. 00:10:38.269 --> 00:10:41.370 That God's sovereignty, a key theme in our theology, 00:10:41.509 --> 00:10:44.970 in the scriptures, is that God is Lord over all. 00:10:45.289 --> 00:10:47.769 Yet we like to think that whether it's the monster 00:10:47.769 --> 00:10:50.389 in the bed, the clowns, chickens, the dark, the 00:10:50.389 --> 00:10:53.289 cold winds, whatever it is, is outside of God's 00:10:53.289 --> 00:10:58.909 control. It's not. And here's the thing. It never 00:10:58.909 --> 00:11:04.840 has been. Guess what? It never will be. Yet young 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:07.840 believers or non -believers, they struggle with 00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:10.580 that. I still remember a couple years ago, we 00:11:10.580 --> 00:11:15.679 had someone in our church who just had a brazen 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:19.600 misunderstanding about who God was. Unbeknownst 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:22.519 to her, it was what God was using to bring her 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:25.539 to a profession of faith. Her thing is, how could 00:11:25.539 --> 00:11:28.610 a good God allow bad things to happen? Friends, 00:11:28.610 --> 00:11:30.409 that happens all the time, and probably happened 00:11:30.409 --> 00:11:32.370 through each and every one of us. As we've grown 00:11:32.370 --> 00:11:34.009 in our faith, you have to wrestle with that. 00:11:34.549 --> 00:11:37.029 And you can look at the world and go, where was 00:11:37.029 --> 00:11:39.169 God in the flood in Texas? Where was God in this? 00:11:39.230 --> 00:11:41.870 Where was God in that? And the mature believer 00:11:41.870 --> 00:11:44.710 doesn't throw the baby out with the bathwater, 00:11:44.769 --> 00:11:47.250 so to speak, and deny God's existence when bad 00:11:47.250 --> 00:11:49.450 things happen, because then your belief in God 00:11:49.450 --> 00:11:54.389 becomes circumstantial. Well, if the world is 00:11:54.389 --> 00:11:56.350 bad, that means God is bad. It doesn't work that 00:11:56.350 --> 00:11:59.379 way. It's never worked that way, and guess what? 00:11:59.419 --> 00:12:01.759 It never will work that way. And our fears can 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:05.500 follow that same trend. Lord's Day 13 in our 00:12:05.500 --> 00:12:08.059 Heidelberg Catechism affirms that Christ is our 00:12:08.059 --> 00:12:12.259 faithful and powerful Savior. When we are afraid, 00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:15.019 we are reminded that Christ has already conquered 00:12:15.019 --> 00:12:19.490 the ultimate source of fear. Does anyone want 00:12:19.490 --> 00:12:22.929 to guess the ultimate source for lunch in a conversation 00:12:22.929 --> 00:12:26.029 with Pastor Jim? What does the Lord's Day 13 00:12:26.029 --> 00:12:29.309 really remind us that the ultimate source of 00:12:29.309 --> 00:12:34.970 fear is one of three things? Anyone know? Death 00:12:34.970 --> 00:12:40.049 is one. The devil is two. You're a former elder, 00:12:40.110 --> 00:12:41.389 so you need to get all three. You're not getting 00:12:41.389 --> 00:12:51.289 that lunch. Oh, what's that called? Sin! Thank 00:12:51.289 --> 00:12:56.110 you. Sin, right? Sin. Sorry, Max. Sin, right? 00:12:56.350 --> 00:13:01.169 Death and the power of evil. Whether it's kind 00:13:01.169 --> 00:13:03.610 of, if we look back now, not like fears that 00:13:03.610 --> 00:13:05.470 aren't really fears, but just things that maybe 00:13:05.470 --> 00:13:07.629 we saw in a movie or whatever, or actual fears 00:13:07.629 --> 00:13:10.980 we have in life. Jesus has already conquered 00:13:10.980 --> 00:13:14.659 the ultimate source of our fear. Our trust in 00:13:14.659 --> 00:13:18.919 Christ frees us from the paralyzing grip of fear. 00:13:18.980 --> 00:13:20.659 We'll get to that in a second. Knowing that he 00:13:20.659 --> 00:13:23.480 has secured our ultimate deliverance. When we 00:13:23.480 --> 00:13:27.080 understand that our time here is temporary to 00:13:27.080 --> 00:13:29.340 the eternity that we have with God, it should 00:13:29.340 --> 00:13:31.919 give us perspective on fear. That doesn't mean 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:34.460 we won't have it. It doesn't mean we should downplay 00:13:34.460 --> 00:13:36.659 it. But it does mean we need to give it to the 00:13:36.659 --> 00:13:39.419 Lord. And as a church, our trust in Christ's 00:13:39.419 --> 00:13:42.460 victory over fear should shape the way we live 00:13:42.460 --> 00:13:46.360 together in our communities. One of the greatest 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:51.740 ways that you can show the world your faith is 00:13:51.740 --> 00:13:56.200 by not cowering to fear. I've seen it time and 00:13:56.200 --> 00:13:58.500 time again. People that go through financial 00:13:58.500 --> 00:14:00.799 crises, people that go through relationship crises, 00:14:00.980 --> 00:14:03.419 people that go through all of these things, as 00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:06.379 believers, having the support of the people around 00:14:06.379 --> 00:14:09.179 you, the love of the church or pastor, elders, 00:14:09.299 --> 00:14:12.399 what have you, can walk you through that. A world 00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:15.340 is going to see that and go, what in the world? 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:18.240 Why is this not blowing your life up? Why are 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:20.299 you not freaking out? Why are you not taking 00:14:20.299 --> 00:14:22.700 to social media? Why are you not attacking those 00:14:22.700 --> 00:14:25.360 things that are causing you all this fear or 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:29.980 pain or whatever? How we respond shows the level 00:14:29.980 --> 00:14:34.580 of our faith. So as members of Munster Church, 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:37.720 we must be intentional in how we support one 00:14:37.720 --> 00:14:40.519 another in times of fear and struggle. It's easy 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:43.059 to feel isolated in our challenges, but we are 00:14:43.059 --> 00:14:45.519 called to create a community where fear can be 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:49.100 acknowledged and shoved into the light. Because 00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:51.659 that's the key part of it. Everything in the 00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:54.340 dark gets brought to the light. We get that in 00:14:54.340 --> 00:14:57.509 Scripture. But the darkness doesn't get a say 00:14:57.509 --> 00:15:00.730 in how the light obliterates it. Listen to that. 00:15:01.590 --> 00:15:04.750 The darkness doesn't get a say. It doesn't say, 00:15:04.789 --> 00:15:06.289 okay, light, shine on this because it'll make 00:15:06.289 --> 00:15:10.289 me feel better. No. It just happens. And the 00:15:10.289 --> 00:15:13.929 people of God come together to walk through all 00:15:13.929 --> 00:15:16.690 of that. So really, here at the church, we should 00:15:16.690 --> 00:15:19.169 really instill a new practice, I feel like, to 00:15:19.169 --> 00:15:21.850 share our fears with one another and legit pray 00:15:21.850 --> 00:15:25.289 for one another. Not just say, I'll pray for 00:15:25.289 --> 00:15:28.669 you and never do it, but stop and pray one for 00:15:28.669 --> 00:15:31.730 another. Just as David trusts God in his fear, 00:15:31.889 --> 00:15:35.190 we are called to trust God together as a community. 00:15:35.950 --> 00:15:40.230 When one of us is afraid, we all respond by supporting, 00:15:40.590 --> 00:15:45.690 praying, encouraging, or taking Mary to KFC so 00:15:45.690 --> 00:15:49.730 she can dominate those fears. But we ultimately 00:15:49.730 --> 00:15:54.610 place our trust in God's faithfulness. So once 00:15:54.610 --> 00:15:57.929 we enter in, once we give it to the Lord, we 00:15:57.929 --> 00:16:00.129 need to then take something, right? He gives 00:16:00.129 --> 00:16:02.710 us something. It's called security. Finding security 00:16:02.710 --> 00:16:05.429 in what? God's faithfulness. Verses 5 through 00:16:05.429 --> 00:16:10.389 7. All day long they inquire my cause. All their 00:16:10.389 --> 00:16:13.590 thoughts are against me for evil. They stir up 00:16:13.590 --> 00:16:16.889 strife. They lurk. They watch my steps as they 00:16:16.889 --> 00:16:20.990 have waited for my life. For their crime will 00:16:20.990 --> 00:16:25.590 they escape? In wrath, cast down the peoples, 00:16:25.789 --> 00:16:30.230 O God. David acknowledges that he is not facing 00:16:30.230 --> 00:16:32.850 his enemies alone. He's acknowledging, even in 00:16:32.850 --> 00:16:36.350 the midst of his fear, that God is with him and 00:16:36.350 --> 00:16:39.669 God sees what's happening. That's, again, something 00:16:39.669 --> 00:16:44.090 I think we forget at times. Like your fear of 00:16:44.090 --> 00:16:46.850 whatever it is, it's not like brand new to God. 00:16:46.990 --> 00:16:49.690 This isn't a surprise to God. God doesn't get 00:16:49.690 --> 00:16:53.350 surprised. Why? Because he is sovereign. Some 00:16:53.350 --> 00:16:55.889 of us don't like that. And the main reason why 00:16:55.889 --> 00:16:59.590 we don't is very simple. We wish we could be 00:16:59.590 --> 00:17:02.350 like that. But friend, your call has never been 00:17:02.350 --> 00:17:05.440 to be the sovereign God. Your call is to point 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:08.460 people to the sovereign God and to live life 00:17:08.460 --> 00:17:11.259 instead of fear, but have faith. You've seen 00:17:11.259 --> 00:17:13.460 those shirts. You've seen those signs at churches. 00:17:13.660 --> 00:17:17.720 Faith over fear. And that's right on. Not always 00:17:17.720 --> 00:17:21.400 easy to live in, but that is the call. You see, 00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:23.519 David acknowledges that he's not facing his enemies 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:25.980 alone. God is with him. God sees all that is 00:17:25.980 --> 00:17:29.509 happening. God's faithfulness is what gives David 00:17:29.509 --> 00:17:33.390 the security he needs to face the opposition. 00:17:33.650 --> 00:17:36.289 When I sit in the hospital room or in the living 00:17:36.289 --> 00:17:41.369 room before a surgery, one of the things that 00:17:41.369 --> 00:17:44.910 is often prayed for and longed for by the individual 00:17:44.910 --> 00:17:49.309 is peace. Why in the world would we want peace 00:17:49.309 --> 00:17:52.109 in the midst of all of this? Because our fear 00:17:52.109 --> 00:17:55.470 is stirring us up. Our fear is making us crazy. 00:17:56.089 --> 00:17:57.970 I'm going in for surgery. What's the worst that 00:17:57.970 --> 00:18:02.130 can happen? You could die. Offering that as a 00:18:02.130 --> 00:18:04.890 perspective, working through that so it's not 00:18:04.890 --> 00:18:06.710 just kind of hidden in this place in the back 00:18:06.710 --> 00:18:09.410 of our mind, our heart, or our soul, is putting 00:18:09.410 --> 00:18:12.269 it, giving it to the cross, and allowing Christ's 00:18:12.269 --> 00:18:16.910 peace to really wipe it out, to really lay his 00:18:16.910 --> 00:18:19.950 peace over our fear and bring us to that comfort. 00:18:21.150 --> 00:18:23.730 David's confidence is rooted in God's justice. 00:18:23.869 --> 00:18:26.450 He knows that God will bring about the right 00:18:26.450 --> 00:18:29.410 outcome. Think about that. That's what I had 00:18:29.410 --> 00:18:33.190 to pause. That what David is doing, he's saying, 00:18:33.250 --> 00:18:36.789 God, whatever outcome you bring is the best outcome. 00:18:39.069 --> 00:18:43.450 Yet I do a really good job of giving God and 00:18:43.450 --> 00:18:46.069 demanding God reads my Choose Your Own Adventure 00:18:46.069 --> 00:18:48.750 book. All right, God, if you're going to do this, 00:18:48.750 --> 00:18:51.210 then let's together turn to page either 47 or 00:18:51.210 --> 00:18:53.289 page 51, because those are the two I'm comfortable 00:18:53.289 --> 00:18:56.690 with. And so, okay, we pick 51. Okay, now, who 00:18:56.690 --> 00:18:59.049 am I to do that to the God that created the heavens 00:18:59.049 --> 00:19:02.750 and the earth? Yet we do that, don't we? We'd 00:19:02.750 --> 00:19:06.950 love to bargain with God. God, I want to be healed 00:19:06.950 --> 00:19:09.329 of this, but I want it to be done this way. And 00:19:09.329 --> 00:19:11.529 if you can get those people that hurt me, that 00:19:11.529 --> 00:19:14.890 would be great too. Friend, that can't be the 00:19:14.890 --> 00:19:18.339 prayer. The prayer needs to always be that God's 00:19:18.339 --> 00:19:21.920 will be done. Lord's Day 13 teaches us that Christ 00:19:21.920 --> 00:19:24.619 is our eternal king, seated at the right hand 00:19:24.619 --> 00:19:27.900 of God, and from this position, Christ is actively 00:19:27.900 --> 00:19:32.099 interceding on our behalf. Not always our wants, 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:35.579 but our needs. Just as David found security in 00:19:35.579 --> 00:19:38.000 God's faithfulness, we find ultimate security 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:41.640 in what? Yourselves? No. Your prophets? No. Your 00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:44.240 relationships? No. Your knowledge? No. But in 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:48.960 who? In Christ. Who knows every detail of our 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:52.039 lives and is working to bring it about for our 00:19:52.039 --> 00:19:58.779 good. So my challenge today, what does your good 00:19:58.779 --> 00:20:03.720 look like in God's eyes? I didn't ask what it 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:07.259 looked like in your eyes. What does your good 00:20:07.259 --> 00:20:09.920 look like in God's eyes? Take a moment today 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:13.839 or tomorrow. Maybe even jot some of those thoughts 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:17.099 down. What does God's good look like, or what 00:20:17.099 --> 00:20:20.660 does your good look like in God's eyes? What 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:24.000 does God want from you to walk in that good? 00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:27.019 Well, the Bible makes it pretty clear. Do justly, 00:20:27.019 --> 00:20:29.259 love mercy, walk humbly with your God. Be holy 00:20:29.259 --> 00:20:32.480 as I am holy. Do not do those 700 commands, blah, 00:20:32.579 --> 00:20:35.400 blah, blah, blah, blah. Take all of that and 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:39.140 sit with it. Sit with it in your gut, in your 00:20:39.140 --> 00:20:43.119 soul. What does that look like? The awareness 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:48.279 that Christ sees us and intercedes for us should 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:51.920 give us great peace. Let me ask a question. How 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:57.099 many of us long for just peace in the Lord and 00:20:57.099 --> 00:21:02.500 peace from the Lord day in and day out? For those 00:21:02.500 --> 00:21:06.200 that aren't raising your hands, dig deeper. Because 00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:08.819 if that's not what our ask is every day, you 00:21:08.819 --> 00:21:11.910 have to ask, what is your ask then? What is it 00:21:11.910 --> 00:21:15.190 you want from life? I know for me, I just want 00:21:15.190 --> 00:21:17.849 peace to know that whatever little chaos is that 00:21:17.849 --> 00:21:21.269 are going on is going to be okay. I don't know 00:21:21.269 --> 00:21:23.589 the answer to all these. We don't have crystal 00:21:23.589 --> 00:21:26.569 balls. That's not biblical. But what does God 00:21:26.569 --> 00:21:30.289 want from me in this moment? It's probably not 00:21:30.289 --> 00:21:33.589 to freak out. Because guess what? As a pastor 00:21:33.589 --> 00:21:35.990 of the church, when the pastor freaks out, who 00:21:35.990 --> 00:21:40.549 freaks out next? No, not the congregation yet. 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:44.140 The pastor's wife, right? Then after, I don't 00:21:44.140 --> 00:21:46.799 know why that was funny. I have no idea. After 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:48.940 that, then who? If the pastor's doing it right. 00:21:49.940 --> 00:21:53.079 The elders first, right? Because they're his 00:21:53.079 --> 00:21:55.500 overseers. Then if the elders start freaking 00:21:55.500 --> 00:21:58.640 out, then who gets it? The deacons, right? Especially 00:21:58.640 --> 00:22:01.200 if you're in a reformed church. After the deacons, 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:05.380 then who gets it? No! The elders' wives, the 00:22:05.380 --> 00:22:08.000 deacons' wives, right? Go through there. And 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:11.079 in Munster Church, then who gets it? Dan, you 00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:15.079 helped start these. Starts with a C. The committees, 00:22:15.299 --> 00:22:17.240 right? All of our committees, worship committee, 00:22:17.500 --> 00:22:19.839 safe church committee, education committee, missions 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:22.519 committee, they get to start freaking out. Then 00:22:22.519 --> 00:22:26.339 who's next? There it is. You've learned. Way 00:22:26.339 --> 00:22:30.279 to go. That is college at work. Way to go. It's 00:22:30.279 --> 00:22:32.599 not always wives. Spouses, right? We have women 00:22:32.599 --> 00:22:35.720 on our committees, so they're spouses. Then who? 00:22:37.569 --> 00:22:39.430 You're all wanting to say the congregation, and 00:22:39.430 --> 00:22:41.190 you have no idea where I'm going to go with this. 00:22:42.470 --> 00:22:46.390 Say the congregation. No, then the pets of those, 00:22:46.450 --> 00:22:48.430 no, I'm just kidding. It's actually the, yes. 00:22:49.089 --> 00:22:53.569 See the layers of security that God gives the 00:22:53.569 --> 00:22:57.309 church? Have you ever thought about that? I don't 00:22:57.309 --> 00:23:00.150 do this alone. Friends, if that was my job, I 00:23:00.150 --> 00:23:01.769 love you all, I would have been out of here so 00:23:01.769 --> 00:23:07.579 fast. It's given to a lot of people. And one 00:23:07.579 --> 00:23:09.660 of the full -time jobs of the elders, notice 00:23:09.660 --> 00:23:11.319 we did this after they were already installed, 00:23:11.640 --> 00:23:16.779 is to sometimes deal with my crazy. That is part 00:23:16.779 --> 00:23:20.240 of your job. Sorry. It just is what it is. But 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:23.660 see how the Lord has protected his church. So 00:23:23.660 --> 00:23:26.599 let's create a community where we can speak openly 00:23:26.599 --> 00:23:30.640 about the difficulties we face, knowing God's 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:33.099 already there and God's always been faithful. 00:23:35.049 --> 00:23:37.309 This will require us to be vulnerable with one 00:23:37.309 --> 00:23:40.049 another, to offer both support and accountability. 00:23:40.990 --> 00:23:43.789 God's faithfulness, as we see from King David, 00:23:43.910 --> 00:23:48.329 is a secure foundation in building deep, meaningful 00:23:48.329 --> 00:23:51.890 relationships that reflect his love and care. 00:23:52.569 --> 00:23:54.750 Finally, how do we respond to all of this? We 00:23:54.750 --> 00:23:58.250 respond with gratitude. So we'll be in verses 00:23:58.250 --> 00:24:03.369 8 through 13, a little longer. For David writes, 00:24:04.089 --> 00:24:07.970 You have kept count of my tossings. Put my tears 00:24:07.970 --> 00:24:11.750 in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then 00:24:11.750 --> 00:24:14.569 my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. 00:24:14.990 --> 00:24:19.289 This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose 00:24:19.289 --> 00:24:22.730 word I praise, in the Lord, in whose word I praise, 00:24:22.930 --> 00:24:26.730 in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can 00:24:26.730 --> 00:24:29.930 man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, 00:24:29.950 --> 00:24:33.250 O God. I will render thank offerings to you. 00:24:33.849 --> 00:24:37.430 For you have delivered my soul from death. Yes, 00:24:37.430 --> 00:24:40.369 my feet from falling, that I may walk before 00:24:40.369 --> 00:24:45.150 God in the light of life. God's thanksgiving 00:24:45.150 --> 00:24:47.950 needs to, or David's thanksgiving needs to be 00:24:47.950 --> 00:24:50.890 our response. And it's not a response after the 00:24:50.890 --> 00:24:54.049 fact, but a response in the midst of our fear. 00:24:56.549 --> 00:25:00.390 So even before God has fully delivered him, David 00:25:00.390 --> 00:25:02.750 speaks in the past tense. Did you catch that? 00:25:03.500 --> 00:25:07.859 As if his deliverance has already happened. Friends, 00:25:07.859 --> 00:25:10.720 this confidence only comes with spiritual growth. 00:25:10.940 --> 00:25:14.200 This confidence only comes as we work on ourselves 00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:16.579 in the light of life, in the light of truth, 00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:20.000 to grow deeper in our relationship with God and 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:23.259 our relationship with others. This confident 00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:26.400 gratitude. And that's what I love what David 00:25:26.400 --> 00:25:31.920 does. This confident gratitude is a sign of David's 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:37.269 deep Trust in God. For when I sit with someone 00:25:37.269 --> 00:25:40.470 who's working through something, something devastating, 00:25:40.710 --> 00:25:43.930 and it's been worked on for days, weeks, months, 00:25:44.009 --> 00:25:48.609 years, the looking back on it to give testimony 00:25:48.609 --> 00:25:53.029 to it is only the work of our Lord. It's not 00:25:53.029 --> 00:25:57.710 our work. It's the work of God in us. For David, 00:25:57.789 --> 00:25:59.809 Thanksgiving is not just about words. It's about 00:25:59.809 --> 00:26:03.400 a transformed life. He's already talking in gratitude 00:26:03.400 --> 00:26:06.440 that God is leading him to walk in his light, 00:26:06.579 --> 00:26:09.299 to live in a way that reflects God's goodness 00:26:09.299 --> 00:26:13.859 and deliverance. Friend, you will always be delivered 00:26:13.859 --> 00:26:17.859 from your fears, dot, dot, dot, in this life 00:26:17.859 --> 00:26:23.279 or the next. And you have to be okay with those 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:26.180 options because that's what the Lord is giving 00:26:26.180 --> 00:26:29.460 you. Finally, Lord's Day 13 calls us to respond 00:26:29.460 --> 00:26:32.990 to Christ's work. with lives of gratitude. Christ's 00:26:32.990 --> 00:26:35.869 salvation is not just something we acknowledge 00:26:35.869 --> 00:26:39.490 once, but something that we walk in every day. 00:26:40.069 --> 00:26:43.210 You are forgiven because of the forgiveness in 00:26:43.210 --> 00:26:45.710 Christ. You can forgive others because of your 00:26:45.710 --> 00:26:48.109 forgiveness in Christ. Though you have fear, 00:26:48.289 --> 00:26:50.349 you will be delivered because of the forgiveness 00:26:50.349 --> 00:26:56.069 in Christ. Our thankfulness for Christ's deliverance 00:26:56.069 --> 00:26:58.329 should shape the way we treat one another and 00:26:58.329 --> 00:27:01.170 live as a community of faith. Because you see, 00:27:01.250 --> 00:27:05.029 as the bride of Christ, we should show the things 00:27:05.029 --> 00:27:07.029 of Christ. And we're learning what those are 00:27:07.029 --> 00:27:09.990 week in and week out. Are we called to respond 00:27:09.990 --> 00:27:13.390 to God's faithfulness with lives of active thanksgiving? 00:27:13.589 --> 00:27:17.049 Yes. Lives that reflect his love and care? Yes. 00:27:17.529 --> 00:27:20.490 Even when it's hard. Even when that so -and -so 00:27:20.490 --> 00:27:24.150 has done that to you. Or that group. Or that 00:27:24.150 --> 00:27:26.309 individual. Or the leadership. Or what have you. 00:27:26.950 --> 00:27:29.819 Thanksgiving is not just about words. It's how 00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:34.279 we live and how we relate one to another. Isn't 00:27:34.279 --> 00:27:36.200 it great when you can sit with someone after 00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:38.200 they've gone through something and you can look 00:27:38.200 --> 00:27:41.640 back at God's deliverance and take zero credit 00:27:41.640 --> 00:27:44.259 for yourself and give all of that back to God? 00:27:44.700 --> 00:27:47.039 That's our relationship with him. That's how 00:27:47.039 --> 00:27:50.039 you engage a sovereign God. And better yet, that's 00:27:50.039 --> 00:27:55.140 how he engages us. His love for us. Our relationships 00:27:55.140 --> 00:27:57.799 within the church should reflect the gratitude 00:27:57.799 --> 00:28:01.440 we have for God's deliverance and the hope we 00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:05.599 have in Christ. You see, thanksgiving should 00:28:05.599 --> 00:28:10.079 be the natural kind of emotion. I don't want 00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:12.859 to say emotion. That's the wrong word. Our natural 00:28:12.859 --> 00:28:16.319 response to all things we go through in life. 00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:19.519 Whether your name a couple weeks ago got picked. 00:28:20.009 --> 00:28:22.509 As a lot for elder and deacon, even though there's 00:28:22.509 --> 00:28:25.789 fear and trembling, there's thanksgiving. Right? 00:28:25.869 --> 00:28:28.170 For a season, maybe on a committee or whatever 00:28:28.170 --> 00:28:30.109 where you take off, there's thanksgiving looking 00:28:30.109 --> 00:28:32.710 back. Maybe you're going to be the one to sign 00:28:32.710 --> 00:28:35.690 up for pre -K. I get it. There's fear, trembling. 00:28:35.890 --> 00:28:38.750 But you'll get snacks. And then at the end, you'll 00:28:38.750 --> 00:28:42.069 be able to reflect on what those little ones 00:28:42.069 --> 00:28:46.339 taught you. Probably patience. But understand, 00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:48.859 it's something that the Lord is working in you. 00:28:48.940 --> 00:28:52.240 You can live in the confidence and the gratitude, 00:28:52.240 --> 00:28:55.500 and we can do that together. So friends, let's 00:28:55.500 --> 00:28:57.740 be a church that responds to God's faithfulness 00:28:57.740 --> 00:29:01.220 with gratitude. Not just in our worship on Sundays. 00:29:01.680 --> 00:29:04.519 We could say thanks to God for an hour, hour 00:29:04.519 --> 00:29:08.079 and ten. But if the first thing you're doing 00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:10.779 when you're walking to your car is, oh, but we 00:29:10.779 --> 00:29:12.720 got this going on, then you didn't give it to 00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:15.079 him. Or you did, and you took it back. You've 00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:18.059 heard me say this before. I am the best at giving 00:29:18.059 --> 00:29:21.579 it to the Lord. I am the best at five minutes 00:29:21.579 --> 00:29:22.980 later taking it back because I don't believe 00:29:22.980 --> 00:29:26.960 you can do it. We can't be that people. I can't 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:30.559 do that as a believer. So let's be a church that 00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:33.720 responds. This means sharing our stories of God's 00:29:33.720 --> 00:29:36.180 deliverance, encouraging one another to keep 00:29:36.180 --> 00:29:39.640 trusting God, even when it just seems impossible. 00:29:40.750 --> 00:29:43.130 And living in a way that reflects his goodness 00:29:43.130 --> 00:29:47.009 to those around us. Let us actively support each 00:29:47.009 --> 00:29:50.289 other with the same care that God has shown us. 00:29:50.490 --> 00:29:53.170 That's how we live in confidence and gratitude 00:29:53.170 --> 00:29:56.470 together. Remember that song that we sang? There 00:29:56.470 --> 00:29:59.769 is no end to Christ's reach. And there's no place 00:29:59.769 --> 00:30:04.339 I'd rather be. What a call for the church. To 00:30:04.339 --> 00:30:07.759 recognize that. To recognize that sometimes not 00:30:07.759 --> 00:30:11.519 being okay is where God needs you to be to see 00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:16.400 that you are secure in Christ. Psalm 56 invites 00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:19.000 us to trust God in times of fear and opposition. 00:30:19.420 --> 00:30:22.099 It teaches us that we can bring our fears to 00:30:22.099 --> 00:30:26.380 God, find security in his faithfulness, and respond 00:30:26.380 --> 00:30:29.980 with lives of thanksgiving. So my challenge this 00:30:29.980 --> 00:30:33.329 week. Reach out to someone in our church who 00:30:33.329 --> 00:30:36.849 may be facing fear or uncertainty. Pray for them. 00:30:37.549 --> 00:30:40.549 Encourage them. Remind them of God's faithfulness. 00:30:40.670 --> 00:30:43.329 Let's be intentional in building relationships 00:30:43.329 --> 00:30:46.769 that reflect our trust in God and our gratitude 00:30:46.769 --> 00:30:49.309 for his deliverance. Because friends, not everything 00:30:49.309 --> 00:30:51.450 that Munster Church goes through is always going 00:30:51.450 --> 00:30:55.089 to be great. And we can connect in the good things. 00:30:55.740 --> 00:30:57.619 In the ministries, the professions of faith, 00:30:57.700 --> 00:31:00.579 the growth, the numbers, all. But what about 00:31:00.579 --> 00:31:05.000 when the record stops and life gets hard? Do 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:07.259 we just kind of all go back to our corners? No, 00:31:07.299 --> 00:31:11.319 we need to engage together. Let us be intentional 00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:14.259 in building relationships that reflect our trust 00:31:14.259 --> 00:31:17.140 in God and our gratitude for his deliverance. 00:31:17.259 --> 00:31:20.160 Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you.