Dr. Mike Dugal [00:00:00]:
What a blessing to be with you again. It definitely has been a while, but, I've I've been to hear from Pastor Glenn just amazing things that the Lord is doing here at New Hope Copeland. And when I came in, I sort of had a deja vu moment because I sort of had a deja vu moment because 50 years ago, I was a soldier and I was in the wrong place of town and I was looking to do the wrong thing. And there was someone that said, hey, there's some music and free food over here. You need to come over there. So I go, oh, yeah. Yeah. You know, free food.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:00:41]:
I like that. And Navigator Coffee House Ministry, and the Lord just convicts me. You know? So I fall under this amazing conviction that when I came in and I saw these tables, the holy spirit just reminded me. You know, we can't get away from God. Aren't you thankful? Amen. Amen. Even the times that we try, he is pursuing us. He desires to have such an intimate relationship with us.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:01:24]:
And that is why it's necessary for us to have this this faith that works. Because people do they are not attracted to a dead faith. People are not attracted to a God who does not act. People are not attracted to something that is dead and just religious things. But they are attracted to a living God who changes lives, who desires to dwell not only with his people but in his people by the holy spirit. And it is truly an honor to be with you. I am so thankful and grateful that Pastor Glenn trust me, with this pulpit. And I am excited about this series.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:02:20]:
And when he was sharing with me, I said, okay. Let me let me pray. And Lord, let me bring something that will speak to them. Let me bring your word to them. And my prayer is that as we look at the scriptures this evening, that as we look at the scriptures this evening, that you would hear the heavenly father speak to you. And and not in a general way. You know, like the sun comes up in the morning and everybody is warmed, you know, by the sun. But that you would have almost a shooting star experience.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:02:55]:
And you would hear the Lord speak your name and speak a word that you need. I love when Jesus says, you know, your heaven father knows what you have need of even before you ask. So this evening, we want to look at Psalm 42. We want to hear the scriptures And specifically, we we want to sort of find hope in the hard places of life. What does that mean? What does that look like? Well, I believe that scripture is very clear that the life we live, the life we will experience is full of ups and downs. It's not if we will face trials. It's not if we will have heartaches. It's not if pains will come, but scripture is clear that when they come, we have a God who has been who has revealed himself through Jesus Christ and he says to us, I am with you.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:04:12]:
I am holding you. I am keeping you. So let's pray. And as I pray, I ask that you would pray and just simply ask the father to speak to you so that there will be a hope whether you're going through a hard time now or in the future when you face a hard time. That there will be a living hope because he is your father. Let us pray. Father, if we pause to consider what your word declares to be true, we just have to humble ourself. So, lord, we come to you tonight.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:05:19]:
We lift up brother Lemo's family and ask that pastor Glenn would be such a caring shepherd. Yes. This time of celebration because of his faith, but, oh, lord, the time of pain because of earthly loss. And lord, we gather tonight not to hear an academic teaching, not to hear a military experience. Father, we gather to hear thus, sayeth the lord. So, lord, use me. In spite of me, speak to your children, the body of Christ that worships here at New Hope Kapolei. And may we hear you speak to us that we may experience your love, your joy, your peace.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:06:35]:
The peace that passes all understanding. That others would be drawn to you because the hope that is in us. We give you the glory. We give you the praise. In Jesus name. Amen. Our scripture is Psalm 42. Would you follow along? It is printed in your bulletin as I read it.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:07:11]:
May we hear the word of the lord. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my god. My soul thirsts for god, for the living god. When can I go and meet with god? My tears have been my food day and night. Why people say to me all day long, where is your god? These things I remember as I pour out my soul. How I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the mighty one with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in god for I will yet praise him, my savior and my god. My soul is downcast within me.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:08:19]:
Therefore, I remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Herman, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls. All your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day, the lord directs his love. At night, his song is with me. A prayer to the god of my life. I say to God, my rock, why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning oppressed by the enemy? My bones suffer mortar agony as my foes taunt me saying to me all day long, where is your God? Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in god, for I will yet praise him, my god and my savior. May the lord add blessing to the reading of his word.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:09:39]:
We look at this psalm, and this Psalm is a a chorus or a music template that has been given to the temple choir, to the sons of Korah. And they are to sing it over the children of Israel as they gather in the temple to bring their sacrifices. It is a musical reminder for them to put their faith in the Lord, to trust their God. Even though they're even though they are facing times that is so crushing, even though life circumstances are beyond their capability, they are invited. And they're invited to have a deep resolve to remember their God and place their hope in him. In 1981, this psalm was put to music to a modern tune. And maybe some of you that are a little bit older, you may remember as the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after thee. And we would sing that that.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:11:02]:
And we would worship the Lord. The Psalmist speaks to us about the reality of life. Listen to these phrases from this Psalm, my tears, I pour out my soul. Yes, I recall worshiping with the faith with the faithful, but there is a deep disturbance in me. I am downcast. It feels like the waves are crashing over me. Having lived here in Hawaii for almost 12 years, there have been times that I have been caught in the waves and I've been rolled and I have just like, okay, Lord. Any minute, any minute, please let me come up and get some air.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:11:56]:
The psalmist says that the crashing waves have swept over me. Yet, in all of this description, he affirms this truth. Your song is with me during the night. Aren't you thankful that it's not what I do that allows God's song to be with me, to be with us during the night. And he says, it's actually has become a prayer. And then how many of us have used of us have used this phrase, why have you forgotten me? When will this oppression end? When will this morning end? I'm I'm even suffering in my body. Do you not care? And how many of us have taken the journey down cancer's road with loved ones, maybe yourself. And the agony, the agony of suffering.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:13:18]:
Will the lord reject us forever? Will he never show his favor again? This is what the psalmist in Psalm 77 says. Has his unfailing love vanished to be merciful? I don't know where you are, where you had been, or where you're going to be. But this Psalm speaks to the reality that life is not a simple roller skating experience. I'm gonna ask you a question as you look at this next slide. What do you see? What do you see? Yeah. Roller coaster. Yeah. Yeah.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:14:18]:
Now depending on your history with roller coasters, this picture either ignites excitement and the thrill of being on 1, or it will cause you to just tighten up and you'll look away. I personally enjoy roller coasters if I choose to ride them. I remember that we were at Disney World in Florida and there is this ride, I don't even know if they still have it, but it was called Space Mountain, and it was a roller coaster in the dark. And I thought, I do not like this, because when I thought I was getting ready to bank to the right, it quickly just threw me to the left. When I thought we were going up, it quickly just, you know, hurled me downward. And I couldn't see anything. And the reality is sometimes life is a roller coaster. We are being twisted.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:15:27]:
We're being tossed. We're being turned. And all I knew is that I never wanted to ride Space Mountain again. You can have it, you can stand in line, you can wait, you can have the thrill, but that's okay. Once enough is for me. Isn't life like that? It's okay if we know where we're going. We can see the up, we can see the down, we can see the twisting and the turning, but when that is happening in what appears to be total darkness, it becomes very unconcerning because we sense we have lost total control. I remember praying, God, get me off this and I'll do anything you ask me to.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:16:30]:
You may be here this evening and maybe you haven't ridden a real roller coaster but life has probably treated treated you like a roller coaster once. The psalmist reminds us that when life appears like this roller coaster, that we have a god who is present, a god who is near, who is ready to draw us to himself. He has made himself known through Jesus Christ. He has promised to sustain us as he gives us his holy spirit. And I declare to you that it is faith in Christ quit fix. We we want a quick fix. We live in a world that is built around a microwave mentality. So if we can go to the next slide.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:17:37]:
We want instant success. We want instant solutions to our problems. We want instant healing. We want instant promotion, instant power, instant, you know, career advancement. So We live in a world that says you can have it and you can have it quickly. The problem with a faith that works, it takes time for it to grow. It takes time for it to mature. It takes time for it to become an actual faith that is strong enough to carry us.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:18:27]:
The sad part of this microwave mentality is that we have access to bible teachers and preachers that promise us we can have it now and we can have it instantly. And God is waiting just to give it to us at a moment's notice. Listen to what Paul wrote to Timothy. He says, I want you to preach the word. I want you to encourage. I want you to correct, to rebuke God's people because there will be a time, and I quote from 2nd Timothy 4 verse 34. Listen to these words, the time will come, not maybe, but it will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:19:30]:
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. Isn't it ironic that we turn away from the truth to find truth? That has always puzzled me. Jesus actually said said, if you hold to my teaching, you really are my disciples. And then he says this, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. What are you holding on tonight as you try to establish a faith that works? Are you holding on to the truth? Are you seeking the truth? Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life. Are you seeking him or are you seeking a religious gimmick that says you can have it now. There are many well meaning attempts that fail. Let's look at several of them.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:20:44]:
How many of us have tried harder? Oh, I just need to try harder. That will help my faith work better. Well, I just won't believe that this is happening. All of us are masters in this believing. No. I just I just won't accept it. And how many of us over spiritualize the things that happen in our lives and we miss the very thing that god wants us to capture or to believe. We deflect it.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:21:30]:
Not me Lord. This can't be happening to me. This is some one else's problem. We minimize it or maybe even as we try to comfort someone else, we we minimize their pain. Well, aren't you thankful that you're not like uncle or auntie? Because you know they're what they're going through is really a lot worse than what you're experiencing. And instead of comfort, we just put more shame upon them. And how many of us we compare ourselves to others. Lord, if you would give me those gifts, I would be walking with a much stronger faith.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:22:22]:
If you had done that in my life like you did that in my brother's life or in my sister's life, my faith would be much stronger and I'd be doing so much for the kingdom. These are well meaning attempts. But all of us would agree. They fail. Do they not? They fail. So what is it that we need to have? We need to have a reality check. C s Lewis, he says, it takes courage to live through suffering and it takes honesty to observe it. As I mentioned earlier, we live in a world that surrounds us with, if you truly trust in God, you will not suffer.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:23:21]:
If you believe the right things, you will not have pain. And yet the psalmist says, be merciful to me Lord for I'm in distress. My eyes grow weak with sorrow. My soul embody with grief. If we were honest, We would simply say, I can't say those things because I don't have a safe place to say them. Why my soul are you downcast? Why are you disturbed within me? Lord, you know what I'm going through but I can't say anything because others may judge me. Reality says, I'm hurting. I'm wavering in my faith.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:24:29]:
I'm trying to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus but they're blurred because of the tears that I have been shedding. We may not see that next twist or turn, but I want you to know, we know the architect. We know the one who is in control, and he is trustworthy. Isaiah reminds us from Isaiah 40 verse 20 8 through 31, do you not know? Have you not heard? The lord is the everlasting god, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding, no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:25:40]:
They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Let's go to the next slide. What is a word that stands out to you? As you look at this, these are all synonyms of sadness and depression and we know the reality. But take a moment and find a word that resonates with you. And maybe you're not going through a troubled time right now, but you have in the past. What is the word in this graphic art depiction that would speak to your journey.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:26:46]:
Have you found it? I want you to ask yourself a couple of questions. When I'm experiencing this word, can I believe my heavenly father already knows that I'm experiencing this situation? Can I dare to believe that he is trustworthy? That he will sustain me, he will guide me, and he will bring me through for his glory. When I'm facing this attitude, this expression, this experience, can I believe that the peace Jesus promised is mine? Jesus said, do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in god, believe also in me. And at the end of John 14, he says, peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives, so do not let your hearts be troubled. And, please, please, please don't be afraid.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:28:30]:
Jesus later would tell his disciples, I've told you these things so that in me, you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart. King James says, be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. So we know the reality and even scripture gives us biblical examples of those who have been in times of depression, in times of just being overwhelmed. We read in Job, he says, sigh has become my daily food, my groans pour out like water. Even Jesus in the garden, he said, my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Paul reminds us, said when we were under such great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure so that we despaired of life itself, we felt we received the sentence of death.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:29:47]:
But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God. A faith that works is a faith that is established on the God who is. And trust me, he is not silent. And we see another example, Elijah. And the word tells us that he was just like a human being like we are. And how many times do we take that example and we look at, oh, he prayed and the rain stopped. But listen to what else happened in his life. He was afraid and he ran for his life.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:30:41]:
He went out a day's journey into the wilderness and he simply said, I've had enough, lord. Take my life. I'm no better than my ancestors. Do we realize that part of Elijah's life even speaks to us? Yes, we want to be like him when he was the high, when he prayed and the rain stopped. But do we realize he had lows And he cried out. Pastor and author, Chris Hodges, he wrote a book called, Out of the Cave. And he speaks to Elijah's life. And he talks about his grief.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:31:30]:
He talks about the learn helplessness, the disappointment, the loss of purpose because of the external life stresses. As a pastor and a Christian author, he simply invites us. Can we believe that god, it is is a god who is present and keeps his promises. So the question I have that we all can ask, What's going on when I am depressed? What's going on in my soul? Why am I upset? New English translation says, I will wait for God. I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention. There's over a 100 synonyms for depression on the Internet. From sadness to gloom to woe to unhappiness to misery to dejection, you name it and we could call it out. Did you know that there is a study that looks at Amazon purchases and when the weather is bad and when people are you know, stranded at home, for some reason Amazon purchases go up.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:33:13]:
We think that, oh, if I buy buy this, then I'm gonna feel better about myself. And there's many of us that have sought a doctor's counsel because we realize there is something chemically wrong. There is something physically wrong, and we need their help. But I want you to hear one thing. Jesus doesn't promise a saving intervention. He is the saving intervention. Amen? Amen. Paul says, no temptation has overtaken us except what is common to mankind and God is faithful.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:34:03]:
He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear but when you're tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. We need Jesus. We need him to speak to our situation. If you jump up to a couple slides, let's hear Jesus's response to us today. I love Eugene Peterson's work called The Message. And he takes that familiar passage in Matthew 11 where Jesus says, you know, come on to me, I will give you rest. And look how he translates it. Are you tired, worn out, burned out on religion? Come to me.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:34:58]:
Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me. Work with me. Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I love that phrase. A faith that works is a faith that has learned the unforced rhythms of grace.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:35:28]:
He continues, I won't lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. Priscilla Shire, when she was speaking at the hymn conference here several years ago, she cited Psalm 56 8. You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all of my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. And she said this about that verse. There is not one tear lost to our heavenly father that falls in the carpet fibers of our bedrooms.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:36:18]:
Do you believe that? Not one of your tears has been lost to your heavenly father. And we are told in revelation that there is a day that he will wipe away every tear. Amen? That is the God that we put our faith in. He is the one that allows our faith to work as we keep our eyes on him. There is a chorus, and I'm gonna ask the worship team to come. There is a chorus that Archduke's churches sing, and we have such an honor to be with them and to worship with them. And it's titled, he is here. If we can go on to the next slide.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:37:13]:
Listen to the words because they're gonna be singing it over you. He is here, hallelujah. He is here. Amen. He is here. Holy, holy. I will praise his name again. He is here.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:37:32]:
Listen closely. Hear him calling out your name. He is here. You can touch him and you will never be the same. I pray that you've not only heard him speak to you, but that you have felt his touch, the touch of the Holy Spirit. And my friend, my brother, my sister in Christ, He is not just calling our names. He is calling your name. May you draw close to him as they sing over you.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:39:38]:
Amen. Amen. Father, we thank you that we do not run this life, this race in our own strength or even on our own. Lord, not only have you redeemed us, but you have committed yourself to carry us, to guide us, to sustain us, to empower us. Lord, we cry out to you. We need you, Lord. We want a faith that works. We don't want a storeroom faith.

Dr. Mike Dugal [00:40:33]:
We don't want a glamorous Hollywood faith. But we want a faith that works every day right here on Oahu. Lord, you know the burdens we carry. You know the tears we have cried. So we draw closer to you. We thank you, Jesus. Amen. Would you sing it one more time? Would you receive this from your father in heaven, and would you be blessed?