WEBVTT 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:03.500 It is always something to conclude a sermon series, 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.099 and Summer of Psalms has always really been different 00:00:06.099 --> 00:00:08.080 to me to kind of conclude it. Sometimes I'm not 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:10.599 the one to conclude it, whether we're on vacation 00:00:10.599 --> 00:00:13.000 or whatever it is. Someone kind of concludes 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:15.900 it for me, but Summer of Psalms is a sermon series 00:00:15.900 --> 00:00:19.260 that we've been doing every summer, because if 00:00:19.260 --> 00:00:22.000 you do it that way, it gives you, you know... 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:25.219 hundreds of psalms that you get to work on. Psalm 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:27.940 119 will probably be a summer in of itself, but 00:00:27.940 --> 00:00:30.780 it's kind of riding the emotional roller coaster 00:00:30.780 --> 00:00:34.159 that is the psalmist. Mostly King David, but 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:36.280 we have psalms that were written by other people. 00:00:36.999 --> 00:00:39.439 And concluding this sermon series in Psalm 57, 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:42.520 I think, was God's plan all along, because we 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:44.880 had a missionary last week that didn't preach 00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:47.780 in it, and it's totally fine, that to actually 00:00:47.780 --> 00:00:51.280 land it and end it on 57 is very different than 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:53.719 if we were going to land it on 58. And I think 00:00:53.719 --> 00:00:56.920 God does that intentionally as I look at a sermon 00:00:56.920 --> 00:00:59.460 series about intentionality, because I think 00:00:59.460 --> 00:01:01.960 we can see all of these psalms we've been working 00:01:01.960 --> 00:01:04.680 on have been very intentional. David's been very 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:07.299 intentional about bearing his soul. about laying 00:01:07.299 --> 00:01:10.519 it all out in his fears, his highs, his lows, 00:01:10.599 --> 00:01:13.819 his nightmares, his dreams about God and his 00:01:13.819 --> 00:01:15.760 relationship and what's going on in his life 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:19.140 that we've seen echoed throughout these Psalms. 00:01:19.140 --> 00:01:21.379 They call to trust God in all circumstances. 00:01:21.659 --> 00:01:24.659 That's an easy sermon. It's easy to say, trust 00:01:24.659 --> 00:01:27.200 God in all your circumstances, but we know tangibly 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:29.500 that's very hard because there are times our 00:01:29.500 --> 00:01:33.859 circumstances may be dire. But what Psalm 57 00:01:33.859 --> 00:01:36.730 provides is a vivid picture. Of what it looks 00:01:36.730 --> 00:01:41.969 like to trust God in the wilderness. Now the 00:01:41.969 --> 00:01:43.890 wilderness gets used in many different ways. 00:01:44.090 --> 00:01:48.030 You see the wilderness as far as the Israelites 00:01:48.030 --> 00:01:50.689 kind of wandering through the wilderness. You 00:01:50.689 --> 00:01:54.209 see Jesus going out to the wilderness to be tempted 00:01:54.209 --> 00:01:57.390 and tested by Satan himself. That the wilderness 00:01:57.390 --> 00:02:01.939 is used in this kind of desolate place. That's, 00:02:01.939 --> 00:02:04.159 if you remember, I think my year, first or second 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:06.659 year, we did a sermon series called The Desolate 00:02:06.659 --> 00:02:09.580 Place. Because friends, we can find ourselves 00:02:09.580 --> 00:02:14.159 in a desolate place daily. You might be one of 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:15.879 those people that you wake up and everything 00:02:15.879 --> 00:02:19.219 is great until you hear one bad thing and then 00:02:19.219 --> 00:02:23.180 it just falls and you find yourself in a desolate 00:02:23.180 --> 00:02:25.840 place. Maybe you are literally finding yourself 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:30.900 in a desolate place today. But David's writing 00:02:30.900 --> 00:02:33.840 this as he's fleeing King Saul, both in dire 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:37.319 circumstances that he's facing, but an unwavering 00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:41.740 faith of worship. That's really what a lot of 00:02:41.740 --> 00:02:44.120 these Psalms have been in, has been about worshiping 00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:47.939 God in the certain circumstances of life. And 00:02:47.939 --> 00:02:51.680 I think about our Han family, right? As they're 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:54.180 praying, and we're now praying for Chandler as 00:02:54.180 --> 00:02:56.729 he's going through his struggles. Friend, that's 00:02:56.729 --> 00:02:58.990 a different kind of desolate place. How do I 00:02:58.990 --> 00:03:01.449 know? My wife was a NICU nurse for almost 20 00:03:01.449 --> 00:03:03.830 years. That can be a very desolate place for 00:03:03.830 --> 00:03:05.849 families. Or maybe you're in your family and 00:03:05.849 --> 00:03:08.090 there's just a dry desert desolate place going 00:03:08.090 --> 00:03:10.430 on right now. Or maybe it's your job, your relationship 00:03:10.430 --> 00:03:12.990 with your kids, something else. Maybe you just 00:03:12.990 --> 00:03:14.370 look at the state of the world today and go, 00:03:14.449 --> 00:03:16.469 we're all just in a desolate place. And you're 00:03:16.469 --> 00:03:20.349 right. We are. We can be. But it's perspective 00:03:20.349 --> 00:03:23.750 that changes in and out of the desolate place. 00:03:24.629 --> 00:03:27.490 David's situation was not one of comfort, but 00:03:27.490 --> 00:03:31.069 hardship, fear, and one of our biggest fears 00:03:31.069 --> 00:03:35.129 of all, spiders. Nope. Fear of the uncertainty 00:03:35.129 --> 00:03:38.650 of life. I see you if you're scared of spiders. 00:03:38.689 --> 00:03:40.870 That is a fear too. But David's not talking about 00:03:40.870 --> 00:03:43.050 that. He's talking about the uncertainty, the 00:03:43.050 --> 00:03:46.469 unknown. How many of you, being honest, because 00:03:46.469 --> 00:03:48.530 you don't want to lie in church, have a fear 00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:52.819 of the unknown? Right? About 90 % of you, the 00:03:52.819 --> 00:03:55.419 other 10%, you just lied. And understand that, 00:03:55.500 --> 00:03:58.020 you know, the fear of the unknown is all about 00:03:58.020 --> 00:04:01.800 perspective, right? How many people think that 00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:03.539 I was a little bit of a drama king growing up? 00:04:05.500 --> 00:04:10.039 That hurts. But it's true, okay? It is. It is 00:04:10.039 --> 00:04:14.389 true. A lot of times when things happen to me 00:04:14.389 --> 00:04:17.350 in life, and still tends to at times, and God 00:04:17.350 --> 00:04:19.410 has blessed me with a wonderful bride to bring 00:04:19.410 --> 00:04:22.069 me back down or just not say anything, because 00:04:22.069 --> 00:04:24.389 she knows he'll come back down on his own, right, 00:04:24.470 --> 00:04:27.569 like a hot air balloon, is that when things go 00:04:27.569 --> 00:04:31.110 wrong, it can be just... the worst right that 00:04:31.110 --> 00:04:34.129 i can go one two one hundred and just get to 00:04:34.129 --> 00:04:37.009 that place i'm working on it the lord is is really 00:04:37.009 --> 00:04:39.350 working on my my heart in that and you know i 00:04:39.350 --> 00:04:41.290 try to do good in it i try to grow but there 00:04:41.290 --> 00:04:43.589 are times when things happen it's just like no 00:04:43.589 --> 00:04:46.050 let's just get it get rid of it right like let's 00:04:46.050 --> 00:04:49.379 just not do it like this is terrible And when 00:04:49.379 --> 00:04:52.040 you go on a hiking trip with your family in the 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:54.879 beginning of the summer, you're met with that 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:58.579 almost hourly when it comes to certain things. 00:04:58.740 --> 00:05:01.519 And we were just outside of Bryce Canyon, and 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:04.620 we were going on a magnificent hike. It was the 00:05:04.620 --> 00:05:07.180 lower something, something of something. And 00:05:07.180 --> 00:05:10.160 all I know is that it was three and a half miles 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:14.360 to go to this beautiful 80 -foot waterfall. right? 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:16.819 Gorgeous waterfall, just a beauty, just looking, 00:05:16.860 --> 00:05:19.019 go, okay, God exists and his beauty is right 00:05:19.019 --> 00:05:22.420 there. But if my math is correct, right, Larry, 00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:24.480 if you walk out three and a half miles, you got 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:28.339 to come back. Are you paying attention? Yeah. 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:30.480 Three and a half miles, right? Right. And so 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:34.040 we're, but maybe a half mile in and it's beautiful. 00:05:34.180 --> 00:05:36.560 85 degrees, gorgeous. You're in this beautiful 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:41.300 canyon and it was, I felt like Noah. The rains 00:05:41.300 --> 00:05:45.180 just opened up, right? In my dramatic mind, golf 00:05:45.180 --> 00:05:47.480 ball size hails, but they're really, thank you, 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:49.560 Joe, you didn't have to say no that fast, right? 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:52.019 But it did hail, dropped 30 degrees. That's true, 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:55.480 right? 30 degrees. You know, so we're shivering, 00:05:55.620 --> 00:05:58.199 we're poor, we're drenched, soaked to the bone. 00:05:59.019 --> 00:06:01.959 And my family's all looking at me. And I'm just 00:06:01.959 --> 00:06:05.300 like, I can't go to a dramatic place on this. 00:06:05.540 --> 00:06:07.879 That's not going to help anybody. I could have 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:10.120 easily been like, we're all going to die here, 00:06:10.279 --> 00:06:13.800 right? That's probably not what you want to do, 00:06:13.879 --> 00:06:16.459 right? And so I'm looking at my face. I mean, 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:19.600 we are in a desolate place in this season. I 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:22.939 can't go run ahead and bring the truck back. 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:25.939 That's not going to work. And so we kind of prayed, 00:06:26.259 --> 00:06:28.439 right? We just said, Lord's going to get us through 00:06:28.439 --> 00:06:33.980 this. And I saw in my boys a tenacity to just 00:06:33.980 --> 00:06:37.180 go, okay, game on. Let's go. We got to make it 00:06:37.180 --> 00:06:39.699 through. And my middle son, Teddy, right, who 00:06:39.699 --> 00:06:42.759 Teddy can be more, sometimes more of our negative 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:46.459 guy, right? He gets that from me. But he, you 00:06:46.459 --> 00:06:49.199 know, we're wet. It's going to happen. It rained, 00:06:49.220 --> 00:06:52.339 of course. We just got to go. And then Joey and 00:06:52.339 --> 00:06:56.500 Jack, they led Kara and I through that. It was 00:06:56.500 --> 00:06:58.889 unbelievable. And pretty much by the time we 00:06:58.889 --> 00:07:01.370 were there, we were almost dry. But one of the 00:07:01.370 --> 00:07:03.050 cool things was, because we're in this canyon, 00:07:03.170 --> 00:07:05.449 to go see one waterfall, how many did we see 00:07:05.449 --> 00:07:07.129 because of the flash flooding that was going 00:07:07.129 --> 00:07:10.290 on up at the surface? 80? Yeah, I mean, seriously. 00:07:10.529 --> 00:07:12.410 Well, maybe a little dramatic, but he also gets 00:07:12.410 --> 00:07:16.889 that from Carrie. But understand that we got 00:07:16.889 --> 00:07:20.490 to see all of these other waterfalls. Like, perspective. 00:07:21.189 --> 00:07:23.629 We could have been like, this is where my journey 00:07:23.629 --> 00:07:27.100 ends. Just lay it down. Or we could trudge ahead, 00:07:27.339 --> 00:07:31.759 we could take it step by step, but notice what 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:34.800 was around us. Because in the wilderness, what 00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:39.439 is around you is important. And one of the coolest 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:42.040 things was seeing people along the way, whether 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:44.199 we were passing them or they were passing us, 00:07:44.420 --> 00:07:47.560 just people we'll never see again in life. Like, 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:49.779 hey, keep it going. The amount of, hey, your 00:07:49.779 --> 00:07:53.149 boys are doing great. Those little things in 00:07:53.149 --> 00:07:54.850 life, they're still a part of me that's like, 00:07:54.930 --> 00:07:58.810 no, we're going to die. But we didn't. We made 00:07:58.810 --> 00:08:00.470 it back. Now, there was also a part of me looking 00:08:00.470 --> 00:08:03.089 at the flash flood and goes, I parked on a hill. 00:08:04.189 --> 00:08:06.529 Like, we might not have a Jeep when we get back. 00:08:06.790 --> 00:08:09.290 Like, that's, again, and just pray for me. Those 00:08:09.290 --> 00:08:11.189 are the crazy things that go on through my head. 00:08:11.769 --> 00:08:15.250 Jeep was fine. We're good. But it was the perspective 00:08:15.250 --> 00:08:19.300 of walking through the wilderness. and noticing 00:08:19.300 --> 00:08:22.600 what God had for us in that, that really made 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:24.660 it something. Well, we look back now fondly and 00:08:24.660 --> 00:08:27.079 go, we made it through. I was singing, we made 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:30.120 it through the rain. How many of you know that 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:34.120 song? It's an actual song. Look it up. My boys 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:35.860 made fun of me for two days, right, for just 00:08:35.860 --> 00:08:38.259 singing that song. But it was an understanding 00:08:38.259 --> 00:08:41.059 that, hey, we stuck together, we got through 00:08:41.059 --> 00:08:42.980 it. That's exactly what David's trying to give 00:08:42.980 --> 00:08:45.980 us today. God is, or what David's reminding us 00:08:45.980 --> 00:08:49.480 in that every season of life, we are called to 00:08:49.480 --> 00:08:52.899 find perspective and we're called to find intentionality 00:08:52.899 --> 00:08:56.120 to help the world around us become more intentional 00:08:56.120 --> 00:08:58.220 about one thing. And that's the cross of Christ, 00:08:58.340 --> 00:09:01.259 that salvation. And how do we as a community, 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:03.259 because one of the things I've been putting in 00:09:03.259 --> 00:09:05.440 this sermon series is being intentional with 00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:07.919 the people here. If we're going to go and try 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:10.100 to reach people out there, we have to be intentional 00:09:10.100 --> 00:09:12.080 about meeting with each other here or else it's 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:14.879 not going to work. If you're off, if we start 00:09:14.879 --> 00:09:16.659 in this potential new vision and mission in the 00:09:16.659 --> 00:09:19.139 coming months, if we're off like this, five years 00:09:19.139 --> 00:09:20.919 from now, we're going to be here. We got to be 00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:24.840 in lockstep together. And we're called to worship, 00:09:24.940 --> 00:09:28.279 first and foremost, God in every season of life. 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:31.720 How we worship strengthens our community, strengthens 00:09:31.720 --> 00:09:34.059 us as members of Munster Church, and calls us 00:09:34.059 --> 00:09:37.419 to create an intentional space where each person 00:09:37.419 --> 00:09:40.419 can be seen, can come in worship, find support, 00:09:40.679 --> 00:09:43.269 and to grow together. Whether they're going to 00:09:43.269 --> 00:09:45.629 grow in study ministries, support ministries, 00:09:45.649 --> 00:09:47.950 or small group ministries, there's a little taste 00:09:47.950 --> 00:09:50.490 of what's to come. We want them to be able to 00:09:50.490 --> 00:09:52.409 find it here at Munster Church. Not necessarily 00:09:52.409 --> 00:09:54.649 always in our building, but maybe in our homes. 00:09:55.309 --> 00:09:57.549 Partnering with other counseling centers or support 00:09:57.549 --> 00:10:01.509 areas, intermission, anew. All of these ministries 00:10:01.509 --> 00:10:05.879 is about people coming to find the Lord. So how 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:07.179 does that work when we're in the wilderness? 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:09.039 Well, David's gonna start worshiping God in the 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:11.299 wilderness. The first three verses, again, we're 00:10:11.299 --> 00:10:14.759 in Psalm 57, not 58. We use the ESV version, 00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:16.620 but you use whatever's on your Bible app or that 00:10:16.620 --> 00:10:21.039 you brought. David writes, be merciful to me, 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:24.840 O God. Be merciful to me. For in you, my soul 00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:28.399 takes refuge. In the shadows of your wings, I 00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:32.220 take refuge till the storms of destruction pass 00:10:32.220 --> 00:10:36.889 by. I cry out to God most high, to God who fulfills 00:10:36.889 --> 00:10:40.309 his purpose for me. He will send from heaven 00:10:40.309 --> 00:10:43.909 and save me. He will put to shame him who tramples 00:10:43.909 --> 00:10:47.090 on me. Selah, God will send out his steadfast 00:10:47.090 --> 00:10:51.909 love and his faithfulness. David begins by calling 00:10:51.909 --> 00:10:56.149 out to God for mercy, seeking refuge under his 00:10:56.149 --> 00:10:59.409 wing until the storms of the oppression that 00:10:59.409 --> 00:11:02.450 he's feeling passes. Much like we tried to get 00:11:02.450 --> 00:11:05.789 under some coverage, you know, from the storm. 00:11:05.850 --> 00:11:08.009 It didn't really work, right? We were drenched, 00:11:08.129 --> 00:11:11.669 but we were seeking it. David's saying, seek 00:11:11.669 --> 00:11:14.870 God in the midst of your hardship, in the midst 00:11:14.870 --> 00:11:17.750 of the dry seasons of life, in the wildernesses 00:11:17.750 --> 00:11:20.850 of life. You need to seek. But too many times 00:11:20.850 --> 00:11:23.490 we go, I'm in the wilderness. I'm going to stand 00:11:23.490 --> 00:11:25.889 right here, and God, you need to come deliver 00:11:25.889 --> 00:11:30.590 me. Okay? Well, what happens when Jesus met the 00:11:30.590 --> 00:11:33.509 guy that was lame, right? Not lame as in uncool, 00:11:33.570 --> 00:11:36.970 but lame as in he can't walk. Does anyone know 00:11:36.970 --> 00:11:38.610 what he says to him right after he heals him? 00:11:39.110 --> 00:11:46.250 Anyone want to take a guess? What was that? Get 00:11:46.250 --> 00:11:50.809 up. Right? He just healed him. This is a guy 00:11:50.809 --> 00:11:54.509 that wasn't able to get up from birth. Get up, 00:11:54.570 --> 00:11:58.970 take your mat, and walk. So what does he do? 00:11:59.049 --> 00:12:01.549 He heals them and then gives them three missions 00:12:01.549 --> 00:12:05.269 right off the bat. Day one, get up, take your 00:12:05.269 --> 00:12:09.710 mat and walk. Jesus knew he could do it because 00:12:09.710 --> 00:12:12.690 Jesus' healing was complete and he had to walk 00:12:12.690 --> 00:12:18.149 in the deliverance from his wilderness. But so 00:12:18.149 --> 00:12:21.429 many times we just sit and we just go, nope, 00:12:21.509 --> 00:12:24.480 I'm just going to wait. I'm going to wait until 00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:26.960 God does it the way I want him to do it. And 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:28.399 if not, I'm just going to wait. Well, then you 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:31.120 might be waiting for a long time. You might be 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:34.679 waiting to the point where you miss it. And that's 00:12:34.679 --> 00:12:37.360 not a good place to be. David's first response 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:40.059 in the wilderness was not to spare or to retreat 00:12:40.059 --> 00:12:43.159 into isolation. It was a call to be active, to 00:12:43.159 --> 00:12:47.490 worship in the darkest moments of his life. David 00:12:47.490 --> 00:12:50.450 chooses to focus on God's faithfulness, trusting 00:12:50.450 --> 00:12:53.970 God will do what God needs to do to deliver him, 00:12:54.129 --> 00:12:58.250 to deliver us from our situation. Worship in 00:12:58.250 --> 00:13:01.509 the wilderness is not only expressing pain to 00:13:01.509 --> 00:13:04.129 God, but also acknowledging his sovereignty, 00:13:04.309 --> 00:13:08.210 his faithfulness in the midst of it. Just as 00:13:08.210 --> 00:13:11.269 David found refuge under the shadow of the wings 00:13:11.269 --> 00:13:14.250 of God, we are called to find comfort and security 00:13:14.250 --> 00:13:18.820 in God's presence. Here it is. No matter the 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:22.379 circumstance. There is no circumstance that you 00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:24.200 could be going through in your life that you 00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:27.379 can't find shelter under the wings of God's sovereignty, 00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:31.679 his mercy, and his grace. So what would that 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:33.799 look like if we could build an intentional community 00:13:33.799 --> 00:13:37.320 here? Create spaces where we can worship. We 00:13:37.320 --> 00:13:40.100 do that. But worship even in the wilderness. 00:13:41.659 --> 00:13:44.220 Our community here is meant to be one where we 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:46.980 can come alongside one another in difficult times, 00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:50.399 offering prayer, tangible help, encouragement, 00:13:50.419 --> 00:13:53.059 and hope, knowing that we're all seeking the 00:13:53.059 --> 00:13:56.100 same person. We're all looking for God's refuge 00:13:56.100 --> 00:13:59.399 in our lives. Lord's Day 21 of the Heidelberg 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:02.259 Catechism speaks of the communion of saints. 00:14:03.299 --> 00:14:06.720 In times of trouble, we are not alone. The church 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:08.480 is a community where believers are called to 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:11.500 support one another. sharing in both joys and 00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:15.320 the struggles of life. Just as David found refuge 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:18.200 in God, we find refuge in one another as we walk 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:21.279 towards God in the wilderness. Where we get that 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:24.940 messed up is when we look for the refuge of one 00:14:24.940 --> 00:14:29.779 another in and of themselves. We can't do that. 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:31.919 We got to do it with our eyes focused on the 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:33.960 cross or Satan could take that and manipulate 00:14:33.960 --> 00:14:36.960 that something fierce, right? He could defile 00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:39.419 that really quickly. But if we all are kind of 00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:42.360 cross -eyed, if you will, looking at the cross, 00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:46.480 together we can find that refuge. The Heidelberg 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:48.340 Catechism teaches that the communion of saints 00:14:48.340 --> 00:14:52.779 is a means of grace. We are to experience God's 00:14:52.779 --> 00:14:54.799 faithfulness through the presence and support 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:58.279 of the church as a community where I call to 00:14:58.279 --> 00:15:00.039 be a place where each member can seek refuge 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:02.500 in God's faithfulness and draw strength from 00:15:02.500 --> 00:15:06.240 each other. So I guess my first question is, 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:08.679 Are you someone that helps others get strong 00:15:08.679 --> 00:15:12.159 in the Lord? Or do you actually take from people? 00:15:12.820 --> 00:15:15.539 We do that by gossip, right? Or we do that by 00:15:15.539 --> 00:15:17.879 not just being nice to one another, not being 00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:20.240 inviting, not being intentional or being fake. 00:15:21.580 --> 00:15:23.460 Because all that does is tear down the body. 00:15:23.539 --> 00:15:25.440 We are called to draw strength from each other 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:29.159 to build the body of Christ. Because if we do 00:15:29.159 --> 00:15:30.960 that, then when we stand in front of enemies, 00:15:31.740 --> 00:15:33.980 The enemies of the church, enemies of God, right? 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:36.820 We will come together in that and we'll actually 00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:40.899 praise God for those moments. Verses four through 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:46.370 six. My soul is in the midst of lions. I lie 00:15:46.370 --> 00:15:49.289 down amidst fiery beasts, the children of man, 00:15:49.470 --> 00:15:52.289 whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues 00:15:52.289 --> 00:15:55.029 are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the 00:15:55.029 --> 00:15:57.590 heavens. Let your glory be all over the earth. 00:15:57.889 --> 00:16:00.970 They set a net for my steps. My soul was bowed 00:16:00.970 --> 00:16:04.350 down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have 00:16:04.350 --> 00:16:09.570 fallen into themselves. Selah. Pause. David expresses 00:16:09.570 --> 00:16:13.070 his deep sorrow as he faces enemies, like lions, 00:16:13.409 --> 00:16:17.669 teeth sharp like spears. Yet despite the overwhelming 00:16:17.669 --> 00:16:20.889 threats, what does David do? He declares that 00:16:20.889 --> 00:16:26.370 his heart is steadfast in praise. Think about 00:16:26.370 --> 00:16:30.250 that. Not that he's praising that he has enemies, 00:16:30.409 --> 00:16:34.389 but he's praising God that in the midst of being 00:16:34.389 --> 00:16:36.980 attacked, He knows he has an advocate. He knows 00:16:36.980 --> 00:16:39.519 he has a Lord and Savior that will bring him 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:42.919 through it in this life or the next. David's 00:16:42.919 --> 00:16:45.059 praise is not a denial of his circumstances. 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:48.159 And friends, I'm not saying that. If you're going 00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:49.700 through a wilderness in life, I'm not saying 00:16:49.700 --> 00:16:53.139 just paint a face on and be fake. No, that's 00:16:53.139 --> 00:16:55.440 the opposite of what I'm saying. Enter in, and 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:57.860 guess what? God will probably bring you to people 00:16:57.860 --> 00:17:00.679 that have dealt with the same thing, the struggle 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:03.929 that is going on in your life. I love you. You're 00:17:03.929 --> 00:17:05.450 not the first person to go through it. You're 00:17:05.450 --> 00:17:08.410 not going to be the last. But if we don't know 00:17:08.410 --> 00:17:10.710 that about each other, if we're not honest with 00:17:10.710 --> 00:17:13.089 one another about where our struggles are, then 00:17:13.089 --> 00:17:15.609 how can we come together? How can we show that 00:17:15.609 --> 00:17:18.609 intentionality and see it for the praises of 00:17:18.609 --> 00:17:22.549 God, for the betterment of God's people? Because 00:17:22.549 --> 00:17:25.009 in the wilderness, we're called to praise, not 00:17:25.009 --> 00:17:28.130 just for what he has done, but for who he is. 00:17:28.349 --> 00:17:31.230 You see, praise is an act of faith. If you didn't 00:17:31.230 --> 00:17:33.480 have faith, you wouldn't praise God. It wouldn't 00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:37.839 make any sense. And when we gather as a community 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:40.859 to worship, we're declaring together that no 00:17:40.859 --> 00:17:42.980 matter the opposition or the trials we face, 00:17:43.119 --> 00:17:47.099 we trust in God's deliverance. But again, it 00:17:47.099 --> 00:17:49.680 cannot be deliverance according to you. It's 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:52.359 got to be deliverance according to the deliverer, 00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:57.140 right? All I knew is we walked three and a half 00:17:57.140 --> 00:17:59.160 miles on that path. It's going to be the same 00:17:59.160 --> 00:18:02.039 exact number of miles to get back to the car. 00:18:02.410 --> 00:18:04.049 How do I know? Because I had it on my Apple Watch. 00:18:05.150 --> 00:18:08.210 Because I'm not good at math. But they had markers, 00:18:08.250 --> 00:18:10.809 and we used that as encouragement. Hey, every 00:18:10.809 --> 00:18:13.029 half a mile, I was able to say, guys, we just 00:18:13.029 --> 00:18:15.269 went another half a mile. This to go, this to 00:18:15.269 --> 00:18:18.890 go, this to go. In normal circumstances, my kids 00:18:18.890 --> 00:18:20.950 would have told me to stop. Let's be honest. 00:18:21.269 --> 00:18:22.670 They'd have been like, enough, Dad, we don't 00:18:22.670 --> 00:18:26.269 care. But in the midst of the desperation that 00:18:26.269 --> 00:18:28.210 we found ourselves, the wilderness we were in, 00:18:28.269 --> 00:18:31.319 those words were encouragement. Hey, we made 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:33.420 it another half mile. Hey, we made it another 00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:36.079 mile. Hey, there are other people. Hey, we're 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:39.099 still alive. All of those things in that moment 00:18:39.099 --> 00:18:42.359 were seen as encouragement. As we build intentional 00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:44.619 relationships within the church, we must create 00:18:44.619 --> 00:18:46.579 an environment where praise is the response, 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:52.019 oh, this is hard, to every circumstance. Our 00:18:52.019 --> 00:18:54.980 worship, whether in joy or struggle, should be 00:18:54.980 --> 00:18:57.980 the testimony of the strength we find in ourselves. 00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:02.559 No. The strength we find in God. The strength 00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:06.680 we find in the one who is our strength. We are 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:08.960 not just called to worship alone, but to worship 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:11.839 together. Strengthening from one another's faith 00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:15.400 as we declare God's goodness and faithfulness. 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:18.380 Going back to Lord's Day 21, reminds us that 00:19:18.380 --> 00:19:21.859 we're not isolated in our faith. I don't know 00:19:21.859 --> 00:19:24.619 about you, but that's good news, right? Even 00:19:24.619 --> 00:19:27.269 for you introverts, that's good news. Right? 00:19:27.410 --> 00:19:31.109 That we are not in this faith alone. As a community 00:19:31.109 --> 00:19:33.049 of believers, we are called to praise together. 00:19:33.470 --> 00:19:36.529 The catechism affirms that the church is a community 00:19:36.529 --> 00:19:40.369 where we are strengthened by the worship of others. 00:19:41.230 --> 00:19:44.309 Whether we're dancing over here. Right? Whether 00:19:44.309 --> 00:19:46.210 we're putting our hands in the air or whether 00:19:46.210 --> 00:19:48.529 we're just in a deep meditative state or sleeping, 00:19:48.849 --> 00:19:51.910 right? We are called to worship together, to 00:19:51.910 --> 00:19:54.849 draw from one another. We encounter God's presence 00:19:54.849 --> 00:19:57.869 and are encouraged in the journey. Because finally, 00:19:57.869 --> 00:20:00.910 when the deliverance comes, what do we get to 00:20:00.910 --> 00:20:05.009 do? We could say, I made it. No, one of the things 00:20:05.009 --> 00:20:08.130 we said was, thank God we're back. Thank God 00:20:08.130 --> 00:20:10.829 the Jeep's there. Right? Thank God that we, God, 00:20:11.049 --> 00:20:13.289 you brought us, you delivered us through this. 00:20:13.789 --> 00:20:16.829 So we get to declare God's glory to the nations. 00:20:17.190 --> 00:20:21.470 Verses 7 through 11. My heart is steadfast, O 00:20:21.470 --> 00:20:24.730 God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make 00:20:24.730 --> 00:20:28.410 melody. Awake, my glory, awake, O harp and lyre. 00:20:28.529 --> 00:20:31.509 I will awake the dawn. I will give thanks to 00:20:31.509 --> 00:20:35.210 you, O Lord, among the peoples. I will sing praises 00:20:35.210 --> 00:20:38.329 to you amongst the nations. For your steadfast 00:20:38.329 --> 00:20:41.549 love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness 00:20:41.549 --> 00:20:44.910 to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. 00:20:45.309 --> 00:20:50.559 Let your glory be all over the earth. Whose glory? 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:55.000 God's glory, not our glory. If we start to try 00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:56.680 to take God's glory, friend, we're doing the 00:20:56.680 --> 00:21:00.599 opposite. We are called to declare God's glory 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:03.160 to the world. What David does is he prays that 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:06.799 God's glory be exalted above the heavens and 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:09.259 that his glory be all over the earth. David is 00:21:09.259 --> 00:21:12.359 not content with simply receiving God's deliverance. 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:17.559 He longs for the world to see and recognize God's 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:22.890 greatness. Is that not? Our story? If you're 00:21:22.890 --> 00:21:26.309 saved, praise the Lord. But your job's not done, 00:21:26.529 --> 00:21:29.250 right? You didn't do works to get to faith. Faith 00:21:29.250 --> 00:21:31.569 came, regenerated in your soul. You recognize 00:21:31.569 --> 00:21:34.890 Jesus as Lord and Savior. And now we get to work. 00:21:35.809 --> 00:21:38.769 Now we get to declare God's glory to the heavens. 00:21:38.890 --> 00:21:42.069 Or maybe you're here today and you don't have 00:21:42.069 --> 00:21:43.650 that relationship with Jesus. Or maybe you don't 00:21:43.650 --> 00:21:45.509 know that you do. Or maybe you're confused by 00:21:45.509 --> 00:21:49.079 that. Maybe today's your day. Maybe the Lord 00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:51.640 is calling you to the cross, wants you to confess 00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:54.339 your sins, and he wants to bring you into that 00:21:54.339 --> 00:21:58.240 family. Some of you may not like that. Some of 00:21:58.240 --> 00:22:01.140 you go, well, that's really elitist. Well, stop 00:22:01.140 --> 00:22:03.579 it. We're talking about God. God has a right 00:22:03.579 --> 00:22:07.799 to call you to his family. And he wants you to. 00:22:07.859 --> 00:22:11.000 He wants you to come and be a part of what he 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:13.099 is doing. Maybe not just here at Munster Church, 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:15.200 but in your own churches, your own communities, 00:22:15.339 --> 00:22:20.619 your own lives. What David prays, it culminates 00:22:20.619 --> 00:22:24.960 in this declaration, this worship. And that worship, 00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:27.480 true worship, doesn't stay confined to our personal 00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:30.880 or logical struggles. I can only worship what 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:32.400 I understand. Then, friend, you're never going 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:34.759 to worship because God's ways are higher than 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:37.500 our ways. He's the creator of all things. We're 00:22:37.500 --> 00:22:41.099 not, though we like to think we are. It calls 00:22:41.099 --> 00:22:43.779 us to declare God's greatness to the world in 00:22:43.779 --> 00:22:46.440 order for God to be great. And I think I've said 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:49.039 this before. I'm getting nostalgia or deja vu 00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:50.900 right now. I don't know why. But if we're going 00:22:50.900 --> 00:22:54.019 to declare God is great, then we need to declare 00:22:54.019 --> 00:22:58.960 ourselves not so much. Right? We can't be great 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:03.460 in the eyes of the world and stay humble. You 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:05.519 may be great in what you do. You may have great 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:09.099 giftings. But a believer gives thanks back to 00:23:09.099 --> 00:23:13.000 God. They remember from whom they came. And that 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:16.240 was the Lord. Our worship, just like David, should 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:19.019 never be for us alone. It is meant to be a witness 00:23:19.019 --> 00:23:22.559 to the world. As a community, our worship must 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:27.380 reflect the global mission of the church. We 00:23:27.380 --> 00:23:29.519 are called to build relationships that not only 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:33.019 encourage each other, but also reach beyond 214 00:23:33.019 --> 00:23:35.539 Ridge Road, drawing others into the worship and 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:38.819 glory of God. Building this intentional community 00:23:38.819 --> 00:23:41.140 at the church is about strengthening relationships 00:23:41.140 --> 00:23:45.190 internally. and equipping one another to go out 00:23:45.190 --> 00:23:48.509 with that faith. We'll land one more time in 00:23:48.509 --> 00:23:51.309 Lord's Day 21. Lord's Day 21 emphasizes that 00:23:51.309 --> 00:23:53.769 the communion of saints is not just for personal 00:23:53.769 --> 00:23:56.769 advocation, but the advancement of God's kingdom. 00:23:57.009 --> 00:23:59.970 God's kingdom come, God's will be done on earth 00:23:59.970 --> 00:24:02.430 as it is in heaven. As a church, we're called 00:24:02.430 --> 00:24:04.970 to be a community that not only grows in faith, 00:24:05.089 --> 00:24:07.529 but also reaches out with the gospel, declares 00:24:07.529 --> 00:24:11.369 God's glory to the world. Our worship and relationship 00:24:11.369 --> 00:24:15.670 are meant to reflect God's glory. So when you 00:24:15.670 --> 00:24:18.710 reflect God's glory, you first have to accept 00:24:18.710 --> 00:24:22.369 it, right? You have to take that irresistible 00:24:22.369 --> 00:24:24.470 grace and go, this is the most amazing thing 00:24:24.470 --> 00:24:27.269 ever. I want to reflect it. But friend, every 00:24:27.269 --> 00:24:29.670 day you have a choice to not. You have a choice 00:24:29.670 --> 00:24:33.569 to reflect yourself, your selfishness, even your 00:24:33.569 --> 00:24:36.490 ambitions. It's about you. One of the biggest 00:24:36.490 --> 00:24:38.450 steps for a believer to come to saving grace 00:24:38.450 --> 00:24:41.170 in Jesus is to know it's not about you. It never 00:24:41.170 --> 00:24:43.450 has been about you. It never will be about you. 00:24:43.529 --> 00:24:46.730 And you need to be okay with it. And for some 00:24:46.730 --> 00:24:49.109 of us, we struggle with that. We struggle when 00:24:49.109 --> 00:24:52.430 our needs aren't met our way. But if it's one 00:24:52.430 --> 00:24:54.650 thing we've seen throughout the Psalms this summer 00:24:54.650 --> 00:24:57.950 is God's way is always better. I know that can 00:24:57.950 --> 00:25:00.289 sound hallmarky and you go, okay, great. But 00:25:00.289 --> 00:25:03.710 it's true. God's declaration, God's deliverance, 00:25:03.789 --> 00:25:06.849 God's divine nature. is what we need every day 00:25:06.849 --> 00:25:10.490 of our life. So let's land the plane here today. 00:25:11.329 --> 00:25:15.329 Worship, trust, and community. How are you doing 00:25:15.329 --> 00:25:18.349 this summer and intentionally living out the 00:25:18.349 --> 00:25:22.569 gospel in people's lives? Psalm 57 teaches us 00:25:22.569 --> 00:25:24.849 to worship God, especially in the wilderness. 00:25:25.410 --> 00:25:27.289 Whether your wilderness is only three and a half 00:25:27.289 --> 00:25:30.549 miles, whether your wilderness is issues in your 00:25:30.549 --> 00:25:32.450 family, issues in your marriage, issues in your 00:25:32.450 --> 00:25:37.029 job, issues in yourself. If you need some mental 00:25:37.029 --> 00:25:39.349 health work, if you need to sit with someone 00:25:39.349 --> 00:25:43.210 licensed, confidential, and just fall apart to 00:25:43.210 --> 00:25:46.269 try to help put the pieces back together, we 00:25:46.269 --> 00:25:49.130 have partnered with many organizations and individuals. 00:25:49.490 --> 00:25:51.529 We'd love to get you that help that you need. 00:25:51.690 --> 00:25:53.509 All you got to do is ask. You just got to take 00:25:53.509 --> 00:25:57.309 that one step. But as we conclude this series, 00:25:57.609 --> 00:26:01.089 we're reminded of something bigger. Our trust 00:26:01.089 --> 00:26:05.410 in God should shape everything we do. Our worship, 00:26:05.569 --> 00:26:08.490 our relationships, the mission of our church. 00:26:08.710 --> 00:26:10.329 You're going to hear more about that tomorrow 00:26:10.329 --> 00:26:13.750 night at the meeting. So my final challenge, 00:26:14.170 --> 00:26:18.250 just hear these words. Building intentional relationships 00:26:18.250 --> 00:26:21.609 within Munster Church is not just about creating 00:26:21.609 --> 00:26:24.450 a comfortable, supportive environment for ourselves. 00:26:25.319 --> 00:26:27.839 It's about creating a community where God is 00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:31.039 glorified in our interactions, in our text messages, 00:26:31.140 --> 00:26:34.299 in our conversations, in the way we do our nursery, 00:26:34.339 --> 00:26:36.220 all the way through our adult Bible studies and 00:26:36.220 --> 00:26:39.140 back again. Where we can walk with one another 00:26:39.140 --> 00:26:42.799 through the joys and trials of life. And we're 00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:44.680 all equipped to go out and declare God's glory 00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:47.660 to the world. So friend, if you're willing to 00:26:47.660 --> 00:26:51.259 commit to that, even in a small degree, then 00:26:51.259 --> 00:26:53.640 start walking in that. As a church, we're going 00:26:53.640 --> 00:26:57.339 to try to develop places and programs and people 00:26:57.339 --> 00:27:01.759 to help do that for all of us. But as we move 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:05.740 forward, who can you support today? Who can you 00:27:05.740 --> 00:27:09.019 encourage and love on today? Let's be a church 00:27:09.019 --> 00:27:11.839 that worships in the wilderness, that trusts 00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:14.319 God's faithfulness, and to live out our call 00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:16.779 to declare his glory to the world. Let's pray.