WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.480 Chapter 1, verse 7, and if you are a Bible marker, 00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:07.219 I don't know that many of you were actually in 00:00:07.219 --> 00:00:09.019 here when I preached this message, because I 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:11.939 think it was in 2020. When did I preach it? Yeah, 00:00:12.039 --> 00:00:16.320 in 2020, which was right smack dab in the middle 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:19.699 of the COVID stuff. So it might have been me 00:00:19.699 --> 00:00:21.820 and about five or six more that was in here doing 00:00:21.820 --> 00:00:26.179 the singing in an empty room. So I'm going to 00:00:26.179 --> 00:00:27.960 feel better about actually looking at you to 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:32.329 preach it. Amen. It's a simple message. Let me 00:00:32.329 --> 00:00:34.789 read the scripture and I'll give you the title. 00:00:35.170 --> 00:00:41.570 Verse 7, Nahum 1. The Lord is good, a stronghold 00:00:41.570 --> 00:00:47.270 in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that 00:00:47.270 --> 00:00:51.469 trust in him. Now, you think about the songs 00:00:51.469 --> 00:00:55.049 that we have worshipped with this morning. And 00:00:55.049 --> 00:00:58.899 you just think, just let that roll. The Lord 00:00:58.899 --> 00:01:05.900 is good. Amen? One more river to cross, right? 00:01:06.700 --> 00:01:09.799 And that song about the praises, that's the first 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:11.340 I'd heard it while they were rehearsing that 00:01:11.340 --> 00:01:15.180 this morning. We've got reason to praise Him. 00:01:15.219 --> 00:01:20.920 I trust in God, my Savior. So it's just a beautiful 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:24.730 thread that has been woven through our... our 00:01:24.730 --> 00:01:26.829 time together this morning by the Holy Spirit. 00:01:26.950 --> 00:01:29.730 And I'm so grateful for that. And so I'm going 00:01:29.730 --> 00:01:32.230 to just preach on this simple thought. The Lord 00:01:32.230 --> 00:01:39.790 is good. Amen. Lord, help us today. Help me stay 00:01:39.790 --> 00:01:42.829 on track, stay focused, and let your word go 00:01:42.829 --> 00:01:45.430 into our hearts today and edify and build up 00:01:45.430 --> 00:01:48.129 the household of faith this morning. Lord, first 00:01:48.129 --> 00:01:50.069 of all, that you be glorified as your people 00:01:50.069 --> 00:01:52.030 have worshipped you from the depths of their 00:01:52.030 --> 00:01:54.579 heart today. And, Lord, we thank you for this 00:01:54.579 --> 00:01:57.739 reminder. Thank you, Lord, for bringing our attention 00:01:57.739 --> 00:02:01.180 to the fact of your goodness. And help me today, 00:02:01.340 --> 00:02:03.799 Lord, to be your servant, that I speak that which 00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:05.840 is glorifying to you and edifying to the body. 00:02:05.939 --> 00:02:09.379 To you be praise in the church. And everyone 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:12.199 say amen. Tell your neighbor, the Lord is good. 00:02:15.060 --> 00:02:18.199 When we think about, I mean, the simplicity of 00:02:18.199 --> 00:02:20.719 that thought, I mean, it's right there in our 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:25.560 text today. The Lord is good. And when you think 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:27.680 about the goodness of the Lord, as Pastor Brian 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:30.020 was encouraging and exhorting us along the way 00:02:30.020 --> 00:02:32.919 this morning, it's not that life is perfect, 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:36.879 that God is good. You know, I counted, there 00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:39.120 were 14 up here in that prayer this morning. 00:02:39.580 --> 00:02:42.039 And the requests kept coming, kept coming, kept 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:43.879 coming. I'm standing here watching, listening. 00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:48.159 Just hearing the hearts. And if you're here on 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:51.159 Wednesday night, sometimes it takes 15, 20 minutes 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:54.280 to do prayer requests and pray at the beginning 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:58.699 of service for needs. Amen. It's not that everything 00:02:58.699 --> 00:03:01.800 is perfect and so God is good. He's good because 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:04.479 we're in the valley and he's there with us. Amen. 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:08.599 God is good in spite of cancer, in spite of storms, 00:03:08.819 --> 00:03:11.560 floods, earthquakes, any calamities, anything 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:14.900 that can happen. Probably one of the most beautiful 00:03:14.900 --> 00:03:17.580 and insightful scripture in all of the Bible 00:03:17.580 --> 00:03:19.780 is the one we've just read. The Lord is good. 00:03:20.039 --> 00:03:23.979 Amen. As we live on this side, we live on this 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:26.430 side of Bethlehem. We live on this side. We live 00:03:26.430 --> 00:03:28.310 on this side of Gethsemane. We live on this side 00:03:28.310 --> 00:03:31.990 of Calvary, on this side of an empty tomb, and 00:03:31.990 --> 00:03:35.750 we should have no doubt in our being in regards 00:03:35.750 --> 00:03:40.009 to the goodness of God and just how good God 00:03:40.009 --> 00:03:42.550 is. Now, in our human nature, if we're not careful, 00:03:42.770 --> 00:03:45.889 we can focus on all the negative that may be 00:03:45.889 --> 00:03:49.090 coming to influence our life, and that draw away 00:03:49.090 --> 00:03:51.629 all of our attention. But I'm here to tell you 00:03:51.629 --> 00:03:54.289 there's more good going on in our life than there 00:03:54.289 --> 00:03:56.620 is negative. I'm saying there's not negative, 00:03:56.699 --> 00:03:59.659 but there's more good in spite of the negativity 00:03:59.659 --> 00:04:03.020 of the enemy. That's the reason I do not care 00:04:03.020 --> 00:04:05.080 to offend him. I don't care if he understands 00:04:05.080 --> 00:04:09.340 or not. I'm praising God anyway. Yes, I understand 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:12.460 my situation just like you understand your situation. 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:14.840 You understand the dilemma. You understand the 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:17.699 trial. You understand the temptation. But in 00:04:17.699 --> 00:04:20.500 spite of all of that, God is good. Because of 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:23.220 the goodness of God, we are in this place this 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:27.160 morning. this text out of the book of Nahum. 00:04:27.220 --> 00:04:31.060 This little book is not directed to Israel, the 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:33.899 northern or the southern tribes. It's not to 00:04:33.899 --> 00:04:37.360 Judah. This letter, this word, this prophecy, 00:04:37.519 --> 00:04:40.980 this utterance is directed to the people of Nineveh. 00:04:40.980 --> 00:04:44.699 It's given directly to the Assyrians. Why? Because 00:04:44.699 --> 00:04:48.399 about a hundred years prior, you remember a rebellious 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:52.399 prophet by the name of Jonah. finally gave up 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:54.439 and went to where the God of heaven was sending 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:57.579 him, and he began to preach, and Nineveh repented. 00:04:57.699 --> 00:05:00.180 You remember that story. Amen. There seemed to 00:05:00.180 --> 00:05:02.459 be more hardship on the prophet than there was 00:05:02.459 --> 00:05:05.160 on the people that he was preaching to, but that's 00:05:05.160 --> 00:05:07.839 what happens when you walk in disobedience. It's 00:05:07.839 --> 00:05:10.459 going to be rough until you get in line. But 00:05:10.459 --> 00:05:13.680 as he begins to preach, Nineveh repented to Jonah's 00:05:13.680 --> 00:05:17.220 disregard, to Jonah's regret. He wanted to see 00:05:17.220 --> 00:05:20.040 God just wipe them out. Why? Because the Assyrians 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:22.899 were a very... Very wicked and a very evil people. 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:26.500 Amen. But they had repented and then God had 00:05:26.500 --> 00:05:28.740 blessed them and God had spared them. But now 00:05:28.740 --> 00:05:31.740 here they are a hundred years later back into 00:05:31.740 --> 00:05:34.139 their wickedness. They've fallen back away from 00:05:34.139 --> 00:05:36.920 God and they've left the God who redeemed them. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:40.620 God who spared them. And now here comes the word 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:43.899 one more time. And Nahum begins to approach and 00:05:43.899 --> 00:05:46.660 he begins to preach. It's the burden of Nineveh. 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:49.935 It's the oracle. It's the prophecy against Nineveh. 00:05:49.930 --> 00:05:52.230 Nineveh, here comes the prophet of God, and he 00:05:52.230 --> 00:05:55.290 begins to speak. He begins to list their atrocities. 00:05:55.310 --> 00:05:57.889 Number one, how they've gone against God. He 00:05:57.889 --> 00:06:00.649 said, God is jealous. You need to understand 00:06:00.649 --> 00:06:04.370 that. God is a jealous God. He'll have no one 00:06:04.370 --> 00:06:09.129 else in your life before him. You can't even 00:06:09.129 --> 00:06:12.209 have yourself before him. Matter of fact, we 00:06:12.209 --> 00:06:15.430 are to deny ourselves, take up our crosses in 00:06:15.430 --> 00:06:18.370 order to follow him. But if there's any object, 00:06:18.490 --> 00:06:22.089 any person, any child, any spouse, any grandchildren, 00:06:22.350 --> 00:06:26.170 anything that is between you and God, God is 00:06:26.170 --> 00:06:28.410 jealous and he's not having any of it. Amen? 00:06:28.509 --> 00:06:31.970 That becomes idolatry in the lives of anyone 00:06:31.970 --> 00:06:35.889 when there's anything between you and God. God 00:06:35.889 --> 00:06:39.829 reserves it for himself. His glory and the praise 00:06:39.829 --> 00:06:43.189 belongs unto him. Having neglected to remain 00:06:43.189 --> 00:06:46.649 close to God, God is now letting them know that 00:06:46.649 --> 00:06:49.459 it's back on the table. and judgment is coming 00:06:49.459 --> 00:06:53.259 their way. But in the middle of God using this 00:06:53.259 --> 00:06:56.439 prophet to tell a people that judgment's coming, 00:06:56.519 --> 00:06:58.779 who's going to bring it, and how devastating 00:06:58.779 --> 00:07:01.360 it's going to be, if you read those three little 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:03.600 chapters, God said, I'm going to wipe you out, 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:06.300 and you'll never rise up again, ever. This place 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:09.459 will be desolate. It's not going to happen. And 00:07:09.459 --> 00:07:12.339 when you hear a prophecy like that, right in 00:07:12.339 --> 00:07:15.199 the middle of God just laying down the hammer, 00:07:15.319 --> 00:07:17.779 and the preacher just really letting it go, all 00:07:17.779 --> 00:07:21.420 of a sudden comes the sweetest verse, one of 00:07:21.420 --> 00:07:24.060 many, but one of the most sweetest that you could 00:07:24.060 --> 00:07:26.600 ever read, comforting that you could read in 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:29.819 the scripture. The Lord is good. Hallelujah. 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:32.899 How do you get that? Here is the preacher dropping 00:07:32.899 --> 00:07:34.819 the hammer and right out of the middle of it, 00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:37.459 the judgment of God being declared. And then 00:07:37.459 --> 00:07:40.660 he says, the Lord is good. Hallelujah. And then 00:07:40.660 --> 00:07:43.319 don't just stop there. The Lord is good and a 00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:47.220 stronghold in the day of trouble. knoweth them 00:07:47.220 --> 00:07:50.620 that trust in him. Judah is getting a little 00:07:50.620 --> 00:07:52.839 reminder. Don't worry about this. This is not 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:54.959 coming on you. It's coming on them. You need 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:58.399 to know that God is mindful of your affliction. 00:07:58.680 --> 00:08:01.540 Judah, you need to know that God is going to 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:04.420 take care of Israel. You need to know that God 00:08:04.420 --> 00:08:07.139 is about to take this enemy out of your life 00:08:07.139 --> 00:08:10.079 and their foot off of your neck and right in 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:12.860 the middle of all of that. He reminded them of 00:08:12.860 --> 00:08:15.439 his goodness and that relief is coming their 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:17.509 way. probably need to hear that this morning. 00:08:17.610 --> 00:08:19.670 It feels like the devil may have his foot on 00:08:19.670 --> 00:08:21.790 your back and on the back of your neck and got 00:08:21.790 --> 00:08:24.250 your face grinding in the dirt, but hear this 00:08:24.250 --> 00:08:27.910 this morning. The Lord is good, and he is a stronghold 00:08:27.910 --> 00:08:30.610 in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that 00:08:30.610 --> 00:08:33.389 trust in him. So if you're trusting in him, he 00:08:33.389 --> 00:08:36.429 knows, and he's already pronounced judgment over 00:08:36.429 --> 00:08:38.590 the enemy. Can I tell you, that's the reason, 00:08:38.649 --> 00:08:40.809 again, I can't get it off my mind. That's the 00:08:40.809 --> 00:08:42.830 reason I don't care if the devil understands 00:08:42.830 --> 00:08:45.389 one thing about my trust, hope, and faith. faith 00:08:45.389 --> 00:08:48.990 in God because he already knows what his end 00:08:48.990 --> 00:08:51.590 is. It's already been pronounced and I'm just 00:08:51.590 --> 00:08:53.750 waiting to that day. You've heard it said and 00:08:53.750 --> 00:08:55.909 I've said it myself. Somewhere in heaven there 00:08:55.909 --> 00:08:59.090 is an angel polishing a chain and getting it 00:08:59.090 --> 00:09:02.289 ready because why? He's going to be bound for 00:09:02.289 --> 00:09:04.850 a thousand years. He's going into a pit. He's 00:09:04.850 --> 00:09:07.110 going to get loose for a little while and then 00:09:07.110 --> 00:09:10.049 he will be cast into outer dots. So I really 00:09:10.049 --> 00:09:13.370 don't care if he understands because I understand 00:09:13.370 --> 00:09:16.980 his end. end and the ultimate for him. So here 00:09:16.980 --> 00:09:19.899 it is, child of God, in spite of everything that 00:09:19.899 --> 00:09:22.279 may be coming against you, in spite of the enemy 00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:24.639 coming against you, in spite of the devil, trouble 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:27.679 and trial, heartache, mourning and woe, God is 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:31.059 good. The Lord is good. In the middle of everything 00:09:31.059 --> 00:09:34.980 that's transpiring in your life, the Lord is 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:50.289 good. moments this morning when Pastor Brian 00:09:50.289 --> 00:09:54.429 started that blessed assurance. Why? Because 00:09:54.429 --> 00:09:57.250 there's a little three -point outline in this 00:09:57.250 --> 00:10:01.029 one verse. And the first thing is this. The goodness 00:10:01.029 --> 00:10:03.450 of God is revealed through divine assurance, 00:10:03.830 --> 00:10:09.610 divine assistance, and divine acquaintance. So 00:10:09.610 --> 00:10:16.779 blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Right? You 00:10:16.779 --> 00:10:18.860 can have this assurance because what we're looking 00:10:18.860 --> 00:10:23.419 at here, it begins with the Lord. A promise is 00:10:23.419 --> 00:10:26.360 only as good as its guarantor, right? The one 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:29.039 who guarantees the payment back. That's the reason 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:31.279 they run you credit and they do all that stuff. 00:10:31.659 --> 00:10:34.940 You can sign the bottom line. Oh, I promised 00:10:34.940 --> 00:10:36.940 to pay it, but I've had it where I wasn't able 00:10:36.940 --> 00:10:39.320 to pay it. Anybody else? I've been there and 00:10:39.320 --> 00:10:41.620 done that. It's only as good as things are going 00:10:41.620 --> 00:10:44.840 in your life. But so when I see this and I hear 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:46.840 about this divine promise, assurance, assistance, 00:10:47.159 --> 00:10:49.700 and acquaintance. It just starts out with the 00:10:49.700 --> 00:10:52.879 Lord. Now, you can't go anywhere to find any 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:55.659 better guarantor than when it begins with the 00:10:55.659 --> 00:10:59.799 Lord. The Lord is guaranteeing this. The Lord 00:10:59.799 --> 00:11:05.000 is good. Hallelujah. And my assistance comes 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:07.799 from him. The Lord, the name used there of God 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:11.659 is Jehovah. Jehovah, which means self -existent, 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:15.139 which means eternal one. And my Lord, I don't 00:11:15.139 --> 00:11:16.480 know what this is starting to do for you. It's 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:19.019 starting to really build up inside of me. And 00:11:19.019 --> 00:11:21.740 I've preached it before. But every time I begin 00:11:21.740 --> 00:11:24.759 to think about the goodness of God and who God 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:28.120 is and the power of God in and on our life, I 00:11:28.120 --> 00:11:30.639 think about the Lord. He is Jehovah, the self 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:35.120 -existent one, the eternal one. That's who's 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:41.820 making this promise. The Lord is good. Assurance. 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:46.820 A positive declaration intended to give confidence. 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:50.519 I hope this is going to give you some more confidence 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:55.179 today. That you're going to make it. I say you're 00:11:55.179 --> 00:12:00.080 going to make it. We used to ride around trying 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:03.639 to find places to hunt. You'd have to take turns 00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:05.320 because nobody likes to be the one to get out 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:06.779 and knock on the door. You never know what you're 00:12:06.779 --> 00:12:11.240 going to get. You never know. You know, they 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:14.500 think there's gold under them bar heels. And 00:12:14.500 --> 00:12:16.820 all you want to do is kill a turkey, my Lord. 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:20.340 They act like you want the mineral rights to 00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:24.480 the place. So it's your turn. You get out and 00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:26.100 go. And if you're driving, you always had to 00:12:26.100 --> 00:12:28.179 do one less turn. That's why I always like to 00:12:28.179 --> 00:12:32.340 drive. So you get out and you go try to get this 00:12:32.340 --> 00:12:36.879 permission to acquiesce the property where you 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:39.179 can get on there and you can get that permission. 00:12:39.620 --> 00:12:43.440 And sometimes we don't like headed in that direction, 00:12:43.460 --> 00:12:45.919 but sometimes you've got to know this. God is 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:49.100 on your side. The Lord is on your side and permission 00:12:49.100 --> 00:12:51.559 is already granted to you. We're not begging 00:12:51.559 --> 00:12:53.659 for permission. You're not looking and searching 00:12:53.659 --> 00:12:55.759 out the goodness of God. The goodness of God 00:12:55.759 --> 00:12:58.240 is already revealed into your life. And with 00:12:58.240 --> 00:12:59.879 the goodness of God being revealed into your 00:12:59.879 --> 00:13:02.759 life, all you have to do is walk in the goodness 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:06.039 that he has provided. He is the one. There is 00:13:06.039 --> 00:13:08.840 this declaration. There is this confidence that 00:13:08.840 --> 00:13:11.820 I have that I can keep going to the Lord. Every 00:13:11.820 --> 00:13:15.759 problem that comes my way. Amen. I always used 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:17.200 to tell them this. and you go out and knock on 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:19.139 the door, and look, they can't kill you and eat 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:22.399 you. All they can do is say no, is cuss you to 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:28.679 your face, and tell us to leave. I mean, the 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:32.480 devil can't even do that. He can come against 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:37.220 you. He can bring problems in our life and cause 00:13:37.220 --> 00:13:40.120 situations to arise, but he can't kill you and 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:44.149 eat you. Jesus said, matter of fact, don't fear 00:13:44.149 --> 00:13:47.570 what man can do to you, but you better have a 00:13:47.570 --> 00:13:50.409 revere and an awe and a fear of God who can destroy 00:13:50.409 --> 00:13:53.429 both the body and the soul. You have to get this 00:13:53.429 --> 00:13:55.610 thing right. And when I have a confidence, my 00:13:55.610 --> 00:13:58.269 confidence is in the very fact that the Lord 00:13:58.269 --> 00:14:01.690 is good. No matter what the enemy throws, no 00:14:01.690 --> 00:14:04.629 matter what he releases, no matter what he unhinges 00:14:04.629 --> 00:14:08.600 in my life, the Lord is good. Doesn't matter 00:14:08.600 --> 00:14:10.639 the diagnosis. Doesn't matter the prognosis. 00:14:10.659 --> 00:14:13.379 Doesn't matter the trouble or the dysfunctionality 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:15.360 in our family. I told somebody this morning, 00:14:15.460 --> 00:14:17.559 there's one thing about the dysfunction in family. 00:14:17.779 --> 00:14:22.679 It's everyone's got it. It's just the degree 00:14:22.679 --> 00:14:25.740 of your dysfunctionality. When you stop and look 00:14:25.740 --> 00:14:28.659 like we all have as parents, oh, look at them 00:14:28.659 --> 00:14:31.779 and they're cheering. I wish my children behaved 00:14:31.779 --> 00:14:37.110 like they're cheering. Do you really? Especially 00:14:37.110 --> 00:14:41.529 in the ministry. You see other pastor's children 00:14:41.529 --> 00:14:44.230 doing this. I'm thinking, where are my heathens 00:14:44.230 --> 00:14:57.210 at? What did I do wrong? Well, hello. Doesn't 00:14:57.210 --> 00:14:59.649 matter what the enemy brings. The Lord is good 00:14:59.649 --> 00:15:02.490 in spite of all that dysfunctionality. You know, 00:15:02.529 --> 00:15:05.080 if you've got your hope. In the great white hope 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:08.200 of the United States, you're on the slide down. 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:14.740 Hello? When it comes to politicians, I'm an equal 00:15:14.740 --> 00:15:32.679 opportunity offender. I almost said it. I almost 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:34.799 used the King James translation, but I'll new 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:38.159 King James it for you. God, in Balaam's day, 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:52.539 even used a donkey. So, I almost went King James 00:15:52.539 --> 00:15:57.779 on you. I'd hurt somebody's feelings. He said 00:15:57.779 --> 00:16:05.190 it. That's one of the only few times that I'll 00:16:05.190 --> 00:16:07.669 use anything other than, just so I don't offend 00:16:07.669 --> 00:16:13.990 you. But he'll use one of them. He may be using 00:16:13.990 --> 00:16:19.929 one now. But according to the word of God, he's 00:16:19.929 --> 00:16:21.730 the one that raises them up and the one that 00:16:21.730 --> 00:16:25.230 brings them down. Therefore, the instruction 00:16:25.230 --> 00:16:29.509 for you and I remains the same, to pray for those 00:16:29.509 --> 00:16:35.539 that are in leadership. hate and malice in your 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:44.240 heart, then you need an altar. Preach it, pastor. 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:49.919 I think I will. Don't have to come into alignment 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:55.139 with everything, but I must come in alignment 00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:59.879 to the word of the living God. And his directive 00:16:59.879 --> 00:17:07.809 to us is to pray for them. How that got in here, 00:17:07.869 --> 00:17:11.650 it's nowhere around. I guess where it says politicians 00:17:11.650 --> 00:17:14.230 don't have the answers. I probably should have 00:17:14.230 --> 00:17:18.710 stuck with that. They do not have the answers. 00:17:20.009 --> 00:17:23.410 Amen? In spite of everything that happens, the 00:17:23.410 --> 00:17:26.549 Lord is good. You know what I have determined? 00:17:26.769 --> 00:17:28.950 Somebody asked me one time, are you this or are 00:17:28.950 --> 00:17:34.980 you that? I said, no, I'm a child of God. What's 00:17:34.980 --> 00:17:38.519 that mean? I pray about every name and every 00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:43.940 spot that I'm going to cast a lot for. I pray 00:17:43.940 --> 00:17:49.380 about that decision. Dad's not here and probably 00:17:49.380 --> 00:17:51.380 won't ever watch this, so I'll just call him 00:17:51.380 --> 00:17:55.539 out. Growing up back in the day, Pops was what 00:17:55.539 --> 00:18:01.980 was known as a yellow dog Democrat. What's that 00:18:01.980 --> 00:18:04.339 mean, Pastor, if it had been a yellow dog on 00:18:04.339 --> 00:18:08.440 the ticket? Pop was pushing the little hole in 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:14.000 the paper for the dog. Pops was a construction 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:17.779 worker. Pops was a union construction worker. 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:24.259 Back in the day, there was more favorable along 00:18:24.259 --> 00:18:28.650 that line. But oh, how things change. Could have 00:18:28.650 --> 00:18:30.990 blowed me over with a feather when I go in and 00:18:30.990 --> 00:18:36.089 Pop's watching Donald Trump stump on TV. And 00:18:36.089 --> 00:18:52.990 I'm thinking, Elizabeth, I'm coming. I said, 00:18:53.049 --> 00:19:00.730 Dad. I just tell you that we live in a realm 00:19:00.730 --> 00:19:05.150 the cessationists have no hope when dad voted 00:19:05.150 --> 00:19:14.910 for that. God still works miracles. You may be 00:19:14.910 --> 00:19:16.710 a yellow dog in here and I'm praying for you. 00:19:22.910 --> 00:19:26.390 See how I did that? I'm so far away from where 00:19:26.390 --> 00:19:29.349 we're supposed to be. But who knows, I might 00:19:29.349 --> 00:19:31.069 be standing right in the middle of it doing this. 00:19:34.410 --> 00:19:39.269 Eternity will tell. Lord, help me. Psalm 145, 00:19:39.390 --> 00:19:41.950 9 says, The Lord is good to all, and His tender 00:19:41.950 --> 00:19:45.890 mercies are over all His works. You know from 00:19:45.890 --> 00:19:48.910 your own experiences. I know from my own experience. 00:19:49.049 --> 00:19:51.549 You know through your breakthroughs. You know 00:19:51.549 --> 00:19:54.349 through your own deliverance scenarios. When 00:19:54.349 --> 00:19:57.809 God showed up and rescued you from your problem 00:19:57.809 --> 00:20:00.569 and your trouble and your trial, you know the 00:20:00.569 --> 00:20:03.410 Lord is good. And there's no escaping the goodness 00:20:03.410 --> 00:20:06.650 of God because you cannot deny that God has been 00:20:06.650 --> 00:20:09.349 good. I think that's the reason for a true, blue, 00:20:09.450 --> 00:20:13.329 blood -bought, born -again, sin -forgave child. 00:20:13.529 --> 00:20:16.230 of the living God, when times get really hard, 00:20:16.390 --> 00:20:19.390 we fall back on what we experience from God. 00:20:19.509 --> 00:20:22.589 And your faith begins to build because of where 00:20:22.589 --> 00:20:24.930 he has brought you from and what he has brought 00:20:24.930 --> 00:20:27.529 you through. And so when the tough gets going, 00:20:27.730 --> 00:20:30.089 the going gets tougher to go with it along the 00:20:30.089 --> 00:20:32.349 way because faith is built up. Faith, right? 00:20:32.430 --> 00:20:38.720 The Lord is good in spite of it all. When you 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:42.420 focus on the goodness of God, you cannot woe 00:20:42.420 --> 00:20:45.380 is me and walk on your lip. You've got to lift 00:20:45.380 --> 00:20:48.519 that lip up and raise those hands and glorify 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:52.559 God who is displaying his goodness in our life. 00:20:54.059 --> 00:20:56.900 I know as a nation, as I've already mentioned, 00:20:56.980 --> 00:21:00.980 and too much probably, I know as a nation we're 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:03.359 getting in similar position to that of Nineveh. 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:09.920 We have drifted so far away. We have drifted 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:14.359 so far away from the times of revival and refreshing 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:18.019 and renewing. As a people, we grow more steadily 00:21:18.019 --> 00:21:22.220 every day, moving away from God. The transgressions 00:21:22.220 --> 00:21:25.960 of innocent lives, blood spilled every single 00:21:25.960 --> 00:21:30.680 day. Doing so by ignoring his word and the principles 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:35.400 of his word. By this, we found so many ways. 00:21:36.079 --> 00:21:38.619 To turn our backs and walk away from God as a 00:21:38.619 --> 00:21:42.200 nation. The pending chaos in our society. Are 00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:44.680 you hearing me? And the declining morality is 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:49.799 totally linked to our abandoning of God and his 00:21:49.799 --> 00:21:54.359 principles. Which means we have banned his word. 00:21:56.099 --> 00:21:58.779 We put it out of schools in the 60's and look 00:21:58.779 --> 00:22:09.009 where we are. Banned it in. Public places. It's 00:22:09.009 --> 00:22:12.349 getting so that you can't even, people won't 00:22:12.349 --> 00:22:16.910 even stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Why? 00:22:16.990 --> 00:22:20.670 Because the declaration of it, one nation under 00:22:20.670 --> 00:22:25.490 God. Because we are a nation, and it's just the 00:22:25.490 --> 00:22:28.769 cycle. It's the cycle. You go through history. 00:22:30.250 --> 00:22:32.710 You go through history. Every nation, every large 00:22:32.710 --> 00:22:35.140 people that grow up, that's what they get. beyond 00:22:35.140 --> 00:22:37.880 themselves, and right back down to the bottom 00:22:37.880 --> 00:22:42.859 they fall. We're about to celebrate 250 years 00:22:42.859 --> 00:22:46.759 as a nation. Thankfully, somewhere, some bit 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:50.680 of wisdom has come out. There is this at least 00:22:50.680 --> 00:22:58.000 a facade of it, of a turning back to God. Seems 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:00.799 to be calling our nation back to God from our 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:04.960 leadership highest seat in the land. Despise 00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:08.740 if you want to, but there is at least some semblance 00:23:08.740 --> 00:23:12.700 and resemblance of calling a nation back to the 00:23:12.700 --> 00:23:18.720 knowledge of who God is. This we've had for quite 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:32.200 some long time. At least the mention. Even in 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:34.180 the midst of wrong and judgment, God is good. 00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:39.640 I've often wondered if 9 -11 wasn't just a small 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:42.099 glimpse of what if God takes his hand totally 00:23:42.099 --> 00:23:46.339 off. What if God just removes? You know as well 00:23:46.339 --> 00:23:48.839 as I do that he could have moved with an ounce 00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:51.559 of wisdom in somebody, and they would have picked 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:54.779 up on some message received, some words, some 00:23:54.779 --> 00:23:57.359 activity going on, the way our intelligence works 00:23:57.359 --> 00:23:59.859 in this world. If God so deemed to have stopped 00:23:59.859 --> 00:24:02.400 it, he could have allowed it. But what if, what 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:06.480 if, what if a just and holy God says, I'm going 00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:09.680 to show you what happens if I'm not your divine 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:13.829 protector? And we see what happened right here 00:24:13.829 --> 00:24:18.150 in our own nation. Could it be? I don't know. 00:24:18.529 --> 00:24:20.930 You can quote me if you want to. I'm still telling 00:24:20.930 --> 00:24:28.970 you, I don't know. But what if it was? Look at 00:24:28.970 --> 00:24:30.990 this text today, this reference to the goodness 00:24:30.990 --> 00:24:34.809 of God. It's to His benevolence and to the kindness 00:24:34.809 --> 00:24:42.410 of God. It's the pleasant, beneficial. approachable, 00:24:42.410 --> 00:24:49.930 honorable God. His graciousness which flows from 00:24:49.930 --> 00:24:53.690 his character. Being good refers to his being 00:24:53.690 --> 00:25:00.269 holy and pure. Thinking about this goodness, 00:25:00.349 --> 00:25:02.849 it's not the cross and resurrection that makes 00:25:02.849 --> 00:25:06.710 God good or makes God gracious towards sinners. 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:10.099 He was good and gracious long before the cross. 00:25:12.180 --> 00:25:15.960 Romans 5 and 8. But God commendeth his love toward 00:25:15.960 --> 00:25:18.180 us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:21.299 died for us. And from the foundations of the 00:25:21.299 --> 00:25:27.880 world, he was slain. It wasn't Calvary that done 00:25:27.880 --> 00:25:30.539 it. It wasn't Gethsemane that ushered it in. 00:25:30.799 --> 00:25:36.450 He was good. Before he took and formed from the 00:25:36.450 --> 00:25:40.130 dust of the ground Adam and breathed into his 00:25:40.130 --> 00:25:46.450 nostrils the breath of life. God was good. God 00:25:46.450 --> 00:25:49.029 didn't wait for us to get it together either 00:25:49.029 --> 00:25:53.230 to display his goodness, did he? Some of us still 00:25:53.230 --> 00:25:56.230 ain't got it together. We're still trying to 00:25:56.230 --> 00:26:01.960 gather it up. Hello? I wish I had all my ducks 00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:04.380 in a row, but by the time you get one, four fly 00:26:04.380 --> 00:26:12.240 the coop. And something about this divine assurance 00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:17.240 is that God is good to all. God is good to all. 00:26:17.900 --> 00:26:20.700 Mark 5, 45. That you may be the children of your 00:26:20.700 --> 00:26:22.519 father which is in heaven, for he maketh the 00:26:22.519 --> 00:26:26.380 sun to rise on the evil and on the good. Totally 00:26:26.380 --> 00:26:30.640 different word. He sendeth rain on the just and 00:26:30.640 --> 00:26:35.000 the unjust. Do you know how good God is to sinners? 00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:39.240 Do you know how good God is to a sinner? Do you 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:41.619 realize how good God is to every drug addict 00:26:41.619 --> 00:26:43.500 that's in a ditch or a drunkard that's got up 00:26:43.500 --> 00:26:45.839 puking his guts up this morning? Do you know 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:48.720 how good God is to every adulterer that tried 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:54.200 to sneak out this morning? Huh? Do you know how 00:26:54.200 --> 00:26:57.460 good God is to those people? Well, how do you 00:26:57.460 --> 00:27:07.740 figure that? They woke up. I have flashbacks 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:12.240 of moments when I thank God he woke me up. Because 00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:16.339 had he not been good to me that morning, had 00:27:16.339 --> 00:27:18.500 he not been good and showed his goodness and 00:27:18.500 --> 00:27:21.359 I'd have left that world, this world, that night 00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:23.180 and entered into his, it would not have been 00:27:23.180 --> 00:27:29.109 good for me. Like many of you. Well, matter of 00:27:29.109 --> 00:27:33.490 fact, like all of us before we got right. That's 00:27:33.490 --> 00:27:36.670 how good he is to sinners. He affords us another 00:27:36.670 --> 00:27:43.910 opportunity. Lamentations 3, 21. We are not consumed 00:27:43.910 --> 00:27:48.930 because of the Lord's mercies. We are not consumed 00:27:48.930 --> 00:27:52.549 because of the Lord's mercies. Because his mercies 00:27:52.549 --> 00:27:56.440 are new. Every morning. Now that right there 00:27:56.440 --> 00:28:01.519 will add a new emphasis on he woke you up. How 00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:04.000 good is God displaying his mercy when he wakes 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:09.339 us even in our sin? Providing for us another 00:28:09.339 --> 00:28:16.279 living opportunity to accept his son. He woke 00:28:16.279 --> 00:28:22.140 me up this morning. I didn't have no doubt. When 00:28:22.140 --> 00:28:24.200 life shifts to the negative, we have divine assurance. 00:28:25.180 --> 00:28:27.519 Job and his dilemma, I'll not go there, but Job 00:28:27.519 --> 00:28:30.960 declares, I know my Redeemer lives. Here was 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:35.099 something I shared with Sister Kathy in the office 00:28:35.099 --> 00:28:38.279 a little while ago. Stop asking why when you 00:28:38.279 --> 00:28:47.440 know who. God never reveals his plans. He reveals 00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:53.250 himself. Oh my, my, my, my, my, my. Stop asking 00:28:53.250 --> 00:28:57.150 why when you know who. The why has no regard 00:28:57.150 --> 00:28:58.710 to anything. It doesn't matter about the why. 00:28:59.109 --> 00:29:01.769 The why could simply be because of your faith. 00:29:02.190 --> 00:29:04.650 Because of your trust in God. That's why. Because 00:29:04.650 --> 00:29:08.230 the devil hates your living guts. That's why. 00:29:08.410 --> 00:29:10.869 That's why things go wrong. That's why. Why? 00:29:10.950 --> 00:29:13.930 Because he despises you. And he's out to kill. 00:29:14.069 --> 00:29:16.789 He's out to destroy. He's out to steal. He's 00:29:16.789 --> 00:29:19.410 out to take everything that's away that God has 00:29:19.410 --> 00:29:22.269 for you. He wants to take it from you. But I've 00:29:22.269 --> 00:29:24.849 got news for him. I don't care if he understands. 00:29:26.490 --> 00:29:28.869 Jesus said, I've come that you might have life 00:29:28.869 --> 00:29:36.720 and have it more abundant. The devil despises 00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:44.119 you. That's why. He despises the promise that 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:48.319 we have. What is that? He can no longer be in 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:52.160 God's presence, but the invitation is to you 00:29:52.160 --> 00:30:01.019 and I. That's why. And it's better that I do 00:30:01.019 --> 00:30:09.180 not know his plan. He just reveals himself. Because 00:30:09.180 --> 00:30:12.980 I know for a fact, if I knew the plan, I'd have 00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:20.799 tried plan B. Hello? Because plan A was definitely 00:30:20.799 --> 00:30:25.779 not on my radar. How many of you, you know what 00:30:25.779 --> 00:30:28.220 you're living out right now, plan A, his plan? 00:30:28.940 --> 00:30:31.359 I guarantee you, you didn't write it up the way 00:30:31.359 --> 00:30:35.730 it's going. Huh? All that hell you're having 00:30:35.730 --> 00:30:40.230 to live through, huh? All that heartbreak, agony, 00:30:40.430 --> 00:30:44.150 all the affliction of your physical body when 00:30:44.150 --> 00:30:50.430 you get up and go, uh. And it's somewhere new. 00:30:54.029 --> 00:30:58.970 Yeah, that's not the plan. Had I known the plan, 00:30:59.069 --> 00:31:04.049 I'd have asked for plan B. And one thing I have 00:31:04.049 --> 00:31:07.269 found is God never asked my opinion for any of 00:31:07.269 --> 00:31:11.650 it. That's the reason that old song, that old 00:31:11.650 --> 00:31:15.450 hymn comes to mind. Living by faith in Jesus 00:31:15.450 --> 00:31:20.170 above. Trusting, confiding in his great love. 00:31:20.470 --> 00:31:24.950 From all harm saved in his sheltering arms. I'm 00:31:24.950 --> 00:31:32.369 living by faith and feel no alarm. Yeah, that's 00:31:32.369 --> 00:31:34.640 the reason. We walk by faith and not by sight 00:31:34.640 --> 00:31:37.079 because if you can see the plan, honey, you're 00:31:37.079 --> 00:31:41.200 out of here. You gone. Uh -uh. I ain't hanging 00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:45.079 around for that. I did not sign up for that. 00:31:47.660 --> 00:31:49.859 Everybody knows it's supposed to be peaches and 00:31:49.859 --> 00:31:53.440 cream and roses and ice cream when you get saved. 00:31:56.079 --> 00:31:59.819 Everything's supposed to be good. Money's supposed 00:31:59.819 --> 00:32:05.680 to flow with it. Overflow it. That's not the 00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:08.240 plan. Why? Because if it overflowed, some of 00:32:08.240 --> 00:32:16.200 you probably wouldn't be here this morning. Living 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:23.420 by faith, right? Life does have its shifts. It 00:32:23.420 --> 00:32:27.000 has those moments when things change. You and 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:30.680 I believe. The very truth that God is good. Or 00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:32.359 I do. Are you convinced? How many is convinced 00:32:32.359 --> 00:32:35.240 that God is good? In spite of all the negative. 00:32:35.460 --> 00:32:39.500 Amen. Well, my head shouldn't be spinning if 00:32:39.500 --> 00:32:43.140 God is so good. Well, take hold of the goodness 00:32:43.140 --> 00:32:47.519 of God and it will stop spinning. Peace only 00:32:47.519 --> 00:32:50.940 comes to those in whom have their minds fixated 00:32:50.940 --> 00:32:55.019 on him. According to Isaiah, thou, God, will 00:32:55.019 --> 00:33:00.230 keep him in perfect peace. Your mind is stayed 00:33:00.230 --> 00:33:05.529 fixated on thee. Well, where's your head at? 00:33:09.390 --> 00:33:12.349 Kind of got amused watching our six - and eight 00:33:12.349 --> 00:33:16.329 -year -old playing baseball, their dad and the 00:33:16.329 --> 00:33:19.589 other coach looking at these eight -year -olds 00:33:19.589 --> 00:33:23.849 trying to say, get your head in the game. And 00:33:23.849 --> 00:33:27.660 I'll tell you, it was so amusing. You know, at 00:33:27.660 --> 00:33:30.859 60, looking back to when mine was in it. When 00:33:30.859 --> 00:33:32.579 they go out for the coin toss, the coaches come 00:33:32.579 --> 00:33:35.680 back with, I could hear it in his voice. All 00:33:35.680 --> 00:33:38.259 right, boys, we're hitting. That's not a good 00:33:38.259 --> 00:33:41.039 thing if you're playing ball. You don't want 00:33:41.039 --> 00:33:44.440 to hit first. They're shouting, whoo! They're 00:33:44.440 --> 00:33:45.960 running into the dugout getting their little 00:33:45.960 --> 00:33:52.039 helmets. I think they haven't got it yet. They 00:33:52.039 --> 00:33:55.339 haven't picked up on it yet. They get the bat. 00:33:55.400 --> 00:33:57.569 That's all they cared about. And that hollering, 00:33:57.589 --> 00:33:59.029 get your head in the game, that wouldn't do it. 00:34:03.970 --> 00:34:06.089 But you and I, child of God, we've got to get 00:34:06.089 --> 00:34:09.929 our head in the game. You want the world to stop 00:34:09.929 --> 00:34:12.369 spinning. Fixate your thoughts on God because 00:34:12.369 --> 00:34:17.769 he, according to the word, is immovable. The 00:34:17.769 --> 00:34:23.349 only immovable force in knowledge is God. How 00:34:23.349 --> 00:34:25.510 do you say that? Because he sits above everything 00:34:25.510 --> 00:34:30.289 and everything moves around him. How so? Go read 00:34:30.289 --> 00:34:33.570 Ezekiel when Ezekiel sees this wheel and a wheel 00:34:33.570 --> 00:34:37.789 and this throne. And he says, scratching his 00:34:37.789 --> 00:34:41.010 head, it moves either direction but it never 00:34:41.010 --> 00:34:48.610 turns. These things come into my mind during 00:34:48.610 --> 00:34:55.550 the process of this and it's just... That God 00:34:55.550 --> 00:35:01.090 is good. We are on solid biblical ground. Stand 00:35:01.090 --> 00:35:04.789 with me. I'm going to wind it down. As I go through 00:35:04.789 --> 00:35:09.750 these next 30 scriptures. You think I'm kidding. 00:35:11.809 --> 00:35:13.650 But I'm going to leave you with some word today. 00:35:15.170 --> 00:35:16.969 I've left you with enough of that other nonsense. 00:35:17.110 --> 00:35:21.460 Let's leave you with some word. Amen. God is 00:35:21.460 --> 00:35:25.260 good, and we are on a very, very solid, firm 00:35:25.260 --> 00:35:30.119 scriptural foundation. Psalm 25 and 8. Good and 00:35:30.119 --> 00:35:32.820 upright is the Lord, therefore will he teach 00:35:32.820 --> 00:35:37.079 sinners in the way. Psalm 34 and 8. O taste and 00:35:37.079 --> 00:35:41.539 see, the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that 00:35:41.539 --> 00:35:44.699 trusteth in him. There's that acquaintance, that 00:35:44.699 --> 00:35:48.219 divine acquaintance, that trust in him. 69, 16. 00:35:48.440 --> 00:35:52.199 Hear me, O Lord. For thy lovingkindness is good. 00:35:53.900 --> 00:35:56.400 Turn unto me according to the multitude of thy 00:35:56.400 --> 00:36:00.480 tender mercies. 85 and 12. The psalmist says, 00:36:00.559 --> 00:36:03.460 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good, 00:36:03.659 --> 00:36:07.559 and our land shall yield her increase. 100 and 00:36:07.559 --> 00:36:10.139 verse 5. For the Lord is good, and his mercy 00:36:10.139 --> 00:36:12.760 is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all 00:36:12.760 --> 00:36:17.480 generations. 106 and 1. Praise ye the Lord. O 00:36:17.480 --> 00:36:20.099 give thanks unto the Lord, for he is perfect. 00:36:20.079 --> 00:36:24.280 Good, for his mercy endureth forever. 107 .1, 00:36:24.380 --> 00:36:26.480 again, O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is 00:36:26.480 --> 00:36:30.840 good, for his mercy endureth forever. Psalm 118 00:36:30.840 --> 00:36:32.760 .1 says, O give thanks unto the Lord, for he 00:36:32.760 --> 00:36:35.659 is good, because his mercy endures forever. That 00:36:35.659 --> 00:36:38.760 Psalm 118, Martin Luther called it his psalm. 00:36:38.820 --> 00:36:43.039 This is my psalm. Listen to what he says about 00:36:43.039 --> 00:36:46.159 it. This is my psalm, my chosen psalm. It has 00:36:46.159 --> 00:36:49.889 saved me from many oppressing danger. from which 00:36:49.889 --> 00:36:53.250 neither emperor nor king nor sage nor saint could 00:36:53.250 --> 00:36:57.530 have saved me. It is, my friend, dearer to me 00:36:57.530 --> 00:37:03.070 than all the honors and power of the earth. The 00:37:03.070 --> 00:37:07.849 Lord is good. 136 and 1 says, O give thanks to 00:37:07.849 --> 00:37:09.530 the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures 00:37:09.530 --> 00:37:12.429 forever. 145 and 9, the Lord is good to all and 00:37:12.429 --> 00:37:15.949 his tender mercies are over all his works. Jeremiah 00:37:15.949 --> 00:37:18.920 33 and 11. The voice of joy and the voice of 00:37:18.920 --> 00:37:20.519 gladness. The voice of the bridegroom and the 00:37:20.519 --> 00:37:22.500 voice of the bride. The voice of them that shall 00:37:22.500 --> 00:37:27.039 say, here we go, praise the Lord of hosts. For 00:37:27.039 --> 00:37:35.320 the Lord is good. Huh? He's our divine assistance. 00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:42.960 The Lord is the stronghold in the day of trouble. 00:37:43.019 --> 00:37:44.340 I don't have to tell you what trouble is, you 00:37:44.340 --> 00:37:47.489 know. That stronghold is a place of safety, security, 00:37:47.730 --> 00:37:52.170 protection. A fortified position. A place of 00:37:52.170 --> 00:37:56.690 defense. That's the Lord. That's your assurance. 00:37:56.829 --> 00:38:00.030 The Lord is your assurance. Him being the stronghold. 00:38:00.530 --> 00:38:05.849 Man, that's your assistance. The Lord. Psalm 00:38:05.849 --> 00:38:08.409 27, 5. For in the time of trouble he shall hide 00:38:08.409 --> 00:38:12.539 me in his pavilion. In the secret of his tabernacle 00:38:12.539 --> 00:38:15.320 shall he hide me. He shall set me up on a rock. 00:38:15.380 --> 00:38:22.500 Up upon a rock. And establish my goal. As I was 00:38:22.500 --> 00:38:24.099 studying over this again, my mind immediately, 00:38:25.360 --> 00:38:27.519 when I read that word pavilion, it went immediately 00:38:27.519 --> 00:38:31.340 to Psalm 91. He that dwelleth in the secret place 00:38:31.340 --> 00:38:33.139 of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of 00:38:33.139 --> 00:38:43.570 the Almighty. The Lord is good. God keeps us 00:38:43.570 --> 00:38:50.329 when trouble surrounds us. You know the function 00:38:50.329 --> 00:38:54.789 of an umbrella. The umbrella never has stopped 00:38:54.789 --> 00:38:59.710 the rain, has it? It just stops it from falling 00:38:59.710 --> 00:39:06.530 on your head. Doesn't mean trouble's going away. 00:39:07.610 --> 00:39:09.590 Doesn't mean the devil's going to stop. Matter 00:39:09.590 --> 00:39:11.500 of fact. You have a guarantee that he's going 00:39:11.500 --> 00:39:13.780 to increase his activity against you because 00:39:13.780 --> 00:39:22.519 you love the Lord. Again, I don't care if he 00:39:22.519 --> 00:39:27.099 understands or not. I trust in God, my Savior. 00:39:29.880 --> 00:39:35.059 I trust in God. So there comes that divine acquaintance. 00:39:35.059 --> 00:39:39.280 He knows them that trust in him. If you trust 00:39:39.280 --> 00:39:43.719 in him, he knows you. He knows where you are. 00:39:46.880 --> 00:39:49.340 It's his plan. If you're walking it out, if you're 00:39:49.340 --> 00:39:51.480 walking his plan, he knows exactly where you 00:39:51.480 --> 00:39:57.239 are on the road. What catches us off guard and 00:39:57.239 --> 00:40:02.559 by surprise, he's there waiting. He's waiting 00:40:02.559 --> 00:40:06.639 on us to approach this spot in the road, this 00:40:06.639 --> 00:40:09.809 path. That we're on. That's the reason the psalmist 00:40:09.809 --> 00:40:12.590 said his word is a lamp unto my feet and a light 00:40:12.590 --> 00:40:28.889 unto my path. Every breath that I am able. The 00:40:28.889 --> 00:40:45.489 goodness. All my life been faithful. All my life 00:40:45.489 --> 00:40:55.409 been so, so good. Listen. With every breath I 00:40:55.409 --> 00:41:02.949 am able. When I'm able, I will sing of the goodness 00:41:02.949 --> 00:41:15.469 of God. He's a good God. Lord, I just want me 00:41:15.469 --> 00:41:17.409 to remind you of his goodness this morning.